Temporal characterization of harmonic radiation generated by intense laser-plasma interaction [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Yutaka Nomura

Temporal characterization ofharmonic radiation generated byintense laser–plasma interactionYutaka Nomura¨Munchen 2008Temporal characterization ofharmonic radiation generated byintense laser–plasma interactionYutaka NomuraDissertationan der Fakultat¨ fur¨ Physikder Ludwig–Maximilians–Universitat¨Munchen¨vorgelegt vonYutaka Nomuraaus Chiba, JapanMunchen,¨ den 03 April 2008Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Ferenc KrauszZweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Dietrich HabsTag der mundlichen¨ Prufung:¨ 04 Juni 2008AbstractAttosecond physics has become one of the most thriving field of science over the last decade.Although high-order harmonic generation from gaseous media is widely used as the source ofattosecond pulses, a demand for more intense coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and soft x-ray (SXR) radiation sources is growing. The process of high-order harmonic generation fromplasma surfaces has attracted a strong interest as a promising candidate to meet this demand.Despite many theoretical predictions of the possibilities to generate intense attosecond pulses,experimental verifications are yet to come.The main theme of this thesis is to characterize the temporal structure of the harmonics gener-ated from plasma surfaces. To achieve this goal, several preparatory experiments are made first.The contrast of the laser pulse is one of the most critical parameters for the harmonic generationprocess and its improvement is demonstrated by using a plasma mirror.