Capturing Nonlinear Electron Dynamics with Fully Characterised Attosecond X-ray Pulses

Kavli Affiliate: Jia Liu

| First 5 Authors: Lars Funke, Markus Ilchen, Kristina Dingel, Tommaso Mazza, Terence Mullins

| Summary:

Attosecond X-ray pulses are the key to studying electron dynamics at their
natural time scale involving specific electronic states. They are promising to
build the conceptual bridge between physical and chemical photo-reaction
processes. Free-electron lasers have demonstrated their capability of
generating intense attosecond X-ray pulses. However, harnessing them for
time-resolving experiments and investigations of nonlinear X-ray absorption
mechanisms remains a cutting-edge challenge. We have characterised X-ray pulses
with durations of down to 700$,$attoseconds and peak powers up to 200$,$GW at
$sim$ 1$,$keV photon energy via angular streaking at the SQS instrument of
the European XFEL. As direct application, we present results of nonlinear
X-ray-matter interaction via state-specific spectroscopy on a transient system.
Using the derived spectral and temporal information of each pulse, we
deliberately steer the probability for formation of double-core vacancies in
neon gas atoms through excitation or ionisation of the second inner-shell
electron after K-shell ionisation. Our results advance the field of attosecond
science with highly intense and fully characterised X-ray pulses to the
site-specific investigation of electronic motion in transient media.

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