Revealing molecular structure and dynamics through high-order harmonic generation driven by mid-IR fields

Abstract

High-order harmonic generation (HHG) from molecules produces spectra that are modulated by interferences that encode both the static structure and the electron dynamics initiated by interaction with the laser field. Using a midinfrared (mid-IR) laser at 1300 nm, we are able to study the region of the harmonic spectrum containing such interferences in CO2 over a wide range of intensities. This allows for isolation and characterization of interference minima arising due to subcycle electronic dynamics triggered by the laser field, which had previously been identified but not systematically separated. Our experimental and theoretical results demonstrate important steps toward combining attosecond temporal and angstrom-scale spatial resolution in molecular HHG imaging. © 2010 The American Physical Society.