New Light Source Project
aiming for unique studies of microscopic motions in matter of all kinds

Ultra-Fast Electron Dynamics and Attosecond Science Workshop
13th May 2008 - Lecture Theatre 3, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London.

This workshop on “Ultra-Fast Electron Dynamics and Attosecond Science” is being held as part of the New Light Source Project scientific consultation. The aim is to identify the major scientific opportunities in this area and to capture the current and developing trends in science and technology that would define the NLS facility capability. The programme will include a number of prominent invited speakers and there will be time for discussion and the interaction of all participants (some space for posters will be available).

The scope of this workshop includes both the more traditional elements of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Multi-Photon Physics and Non-linear Optics, but also incorporates the fast developing area of Attosecond Science. Ultra-fast measurement techniques are advancing rapidly and have now broken into the sub-femtosecond (attosecond timescale) i.e. into the timescale inherent to the evolution of valence electronic states. We can anticipate that the optical tools we use for these measurements also offer the prospects for control of quantum processes at the ultra-fast timescale.

What might we be able to do with these tools? Probably we can now start to ask questions of how the electronic states in matter evolve in real time. So for instance if we remove an electron from astate we can in principle follow the rearrangement of the remaining electrons in the system (i.e. we can study the evolution of a system back to equilibrium following an impulsive excitation). The quantum states we can study are multi-electron and so inherently issues of coherence, correlation and entanglement are fundamental to our understanding. In principle the developing experimental techniques are applicable to atoms, molecules (even larger ones), and solid state matter (clusters, surfaces, semiconductors, nanostructures, bulk solids). Thus we anticipate an impact in atomic physics and molecular science, chemical dynamics, surface and nano-science.

The workshop will thus be examining both future technology that may be implemented within the New Light Source Facility as well as the new science that may be conducted.

Programme
09:45Coffee
 
10:15presentation Introductory Remarks
Jon Marangos, NLS Project Leader
10:30presentation Attosecond technology and measurement
John Tisch (Imperial)
10:55presentation Connecting attosecond science and XUV FEL research
Marc Vrakking (AMOLF, Netherlands)
11:20presentation Ultrafast two-colour experiments with laser- and accelator-based XUV sources
Markus Drescher (Hamburg/DESY)
11:45presentation Harmonics from solid targets – towards an ultrabright source of attosecond pulses
Matt Zepf (QUB)
12:10Discussion of technological opportunities with lasers and FELs
presentation Review of techniques for attosecond X-ray Pulse generation (FEL based)
Riccardo Bartolini (DLS / JAI)
presentation Electronic decay processes in clusters interacting with high-intensity FEL
Vitali Averbukh (Max Planck Institute for the Physics of the Complex Systems)
12:45Lunch
 
13:30presentation Attosecond high harmonic generation spectroscopy of holes in polyatomic molecules
Misha Ivanov (NRC Ottawa)
13:55presentation Electron correlations probed by coherent VUV-IR fields
Leszek Frasinski (Imperial)
14:20presentation Photoionization in Intense XUV and NIR Laser Fields with the FLASH Pump-Probe Facility
John Costello (Dublin)
14:45Electron correlation in intense-laser atomic processes
Ken Taylor (QUB)
15:10 Tea
 
15:30Discussion of scientific objectives and NLS capabilities
 
16:30Workshop Close