Extreme-Ultraviolet-Initated High-Order Harmonic Generation: Driving Inner-Valence Electrons Using Below-Threshold-Energy Extreme-Ultraviolet Light.

We propose a novel scheme for resolving the contribution of inner- and outer-valence electrons in extreme-ultraviolet (XUV)-initiated high-harmonic generation in neon. By probing the atom with a low-energy (below the 2s ionization threshold) ultrashort XUV pulse, the 2p electron is steered away from the core, while the 2s electron is enabled to describe recollision trajectories. By selectively suppressing the 2p recollision trajectories, we can resolve the contribution of the 2s electron to the high-harmonic spectrum. We apply the classical trajectory model to account for the contribution of the 2s electron, which allows for an intuitive understanding of the process.