Electron wave packet sampling with laser-generated extreme ultraviolet and terahertz fields.

We report on transferring the concept of light-field streaking with intense terahertz fields from free-electron lasers to the laboratory scale. Utilizing a commercial laser system, synchronized 300 μm terahertz and 13 nm extreme ultraviolet pulses are generated by optical rectification and high harmonic generation, respectively. The terahertz fields are sufficiently strong to support electron wave packet sampling with a few fs resolution.

Ultrafast photofragmentation dynamics of molecular iodine driven with timed XUV and near-infrared light pulses.

Photofragmentation dynamics of molecular iodine was studied as a response to the joint illumination with femtosecond 800 nm near-infrared and 13 nm extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses delivered by the free-electron laser facility FLASH. The interaction of the molecular target with two light pulses of different wavelengths but comparable pulse energy elucidates a complex intertwined electronic and nuclear dynamics. To follow distinct pathways out of a multitude of reaction channels, the recoil of created ionic fragments is analyzed.