Isolated attosecond pulses using a detuned second-harmonic field.

Calculations are presented for the generation of an isolated attosecond pulse in a multicycle two-color strong-field regime. We show that the recollision of the electron wave packet can be confined to half an optical cycle using pulses of up to 40 fs in duration. The scheme is proven to be efficient using two intense beams, one producing a strong field at omega and the other a strong field detuned from 2omega.

Direct measurement of wave-front distortion induced during second-harmonic generation: application to breakup-integral compensation.

The wave-front distortion of femtosecond laser pulses recorded with a Shack-Hartmann analyzer makes it possible to retrieve the nonlinear index of refraction of different glasses and the nonlinear phase shift induced during second-harmonic generation in beta-barium borate (BBO) crystal versus the phase mismatch. It is shown that the nonlinear phase shift induced in a 2-mm-thick BBO crystal allows compensation for up to a 2pi breakup-integral induced in a 4-cm fused-silica glass. The stability of the compensation is reported to be from 10 to 100 GW cm(-2).