Attosecond probe of valence electron wavepackets by sub-cycle sculpted laser fields

XI. XIE; S. ROITHER; D. KARTASHOV; E. PERSSON; D. G. ARBÓ; L. ZHANG; S. GRÄFE; M. SCHÖFFLER; J. BURGDÖRFER; A. BALTUSKA; M. KITZLER

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

AMER PHYSICAL SOC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012 vol. 108 p. 193004 - 193004

0031-9007

We experimentally and theoretically demonstrate a self-referenced wave-function retrieval of a valence-electron wave packet during its creation by strong-field ionization with a sculpted laser field. Key is the control over interferences arising at different time scales. Our work shows that the measurement of subcycle electron wave-packet interference patterns can serve as a tool to retrieve the structure and dynamics of the valence-electron cloud in atoms on a sub-10-as time scale.