| 1. |
- Allaria, E., et al.
(författare)
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Highly coherent and stable pulses from the FERMI seeded free-electron laser in the extreme ultraviolet
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature Photonics. - 1749-4885. ; 6:10, s. 699-704
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Free-electron lasers (FELs) are promising devices for generating light with laser-like properties in the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray spectral regions. Recently, FELs based on the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) mechanism have allowed major breakthroughs in diffraction and spectroscopy applications, despite the relatively large shot-to-shot intensity and photon-energy fluctuations and the limited longitudinal coherence inherent in the SASE mechanism. Here, we report results on the initial performance of the FERMI seeded FEL, based on the high-gain harmonic generation configuration, in which an external laser is used to initiate the emission process. Emission from the FERMI FEL-1 source occurs in the form of pulses carrying energy of several tens of microjoules per pulse and tunable throughout the 65 to 20 nm wavelength range, with unprecedented shot-to-shot wavelength stability, low-intensity fluctuations, close to transform-limited bandwidth, transverse and longitudinal coherence and full control of polarization.
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| 2. |
- Lorusso, A., et al.
(författare)
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Pulsed laser deposition of yttrium photocathode suitable for use in radio-frequency guns
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Physics A. - : SPRINGER. - 0947-8396 .- 1432-0630. ; 123:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Yttrium (Y) thin film was grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on a copper (Cu) polycrystalline substrate. Ex situ morphological and structural characterisations of the circular Y film of 1.2 mu m thickness and 3 mm diameter have shown a very low droplet density on the film surface and a crystalline feature with a preferred orientation along the Y (100) plane. Moreover, Y thin film resulted in being very adherent to the Cu substrate and more scratch resistant than Cu bulk. A twin thin film was deposited also on a Cu backflange of a radio-frequency (RF) gun to test the suitability of the metallic thin film as photocathode. It was observed that the Y-coated photocathode was characterised by a quantum efficiency (QE) higher than that of the Cu bulk photocathode even if the presence of space charge effects didnt allow deriving the absolute maximum value of QE of Y photocathode.
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| 3. |
- Maroju, Praveen Kumar, et al.
(författare)
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Attosecond coherent control of electronic wave packets in two-colour photoionization using a novel timing tool for seeded free-electron laser
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Photonics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1749-4885 .- 1749-4893. ; 17, s. 200-207
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In ultrafast spectroscopy, the temporal resolution of time-resolved experiments depends on the duration of the pump and probe pulses, and on the control and characterization of their relative synchronization. Free-electron lasers operating in the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray spectral regions deliver pulses with femtosecond and attosecond duration in a broad array of pump-probe configurations to study a wide range of physical processes. However, this flexibility, together with the large dimensions and high complexity of the experimental set-ups, limits control of the temporal delay to the femtosecond domain, thus precluding a time resolution below the optical cycle. Here we demonstrate a novel single-shot technique able to determine the relative synchronization between an attosecond pulse train-generated by a seeded free-electron laser-and the optical oscillations of a near-infrared field, with a resolution of one atomic unit (24 as). Using this attosecond timing tool, we report the first example of attosecond coherent control of photoionization in a two-colour field by manipulating the phase of high-order near-infrared transitions.
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| 4. |
- Pathak, S., et al.
(författare)
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Tracking the ultraviolet-induced photochemistry of thiophenone during and after ultrafast ring opening
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 12:9, s. 795-800
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photoinduced isomerization reactions lie at the heart of many chemical processes in nature. The mechanisms of such reactions are determined by a delicate interplay of coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics occurring on the femtosecond scale, followed by the slower redistribution of energy into different vibrational degrees of freedom. Here we apply time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with a seeded extreme ultraviolet free-electron laser to trace the ultrafast ring opening of gas-phase thiophenone molecules following ultraviolet photoexcitation. When combined with ab initio electronic structure and molecular dynamics calculations of the excited- and ground-state molecules, the results provide insights into both the electronic and nuclear dynamics of this fundamental class of reactions. The initial ring opening and non-adiabatic coupling to the electronic ground state are shown to be driven by ballistic S-C bond extension and to be complete within 350 fs. Theory and experiment also enable visualization of the rich ground-state dynamics that involve the formation of, and interconversion between, ring-opened isomers and the cyclic structure, as well as fragmentation over much longer timescales.
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| 5. |
- Perosa, G., et al.
(författare)
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Femtosecond Polarization Shaping of Free-Electron Laser Pulses
- 2023
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007. ; 131:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate the generation of extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) free-electron laser (FEL) pulses with timedependent polarization. To achieve polarization modulation on a femtosecond timescale, we combine two mutually delayed counterrotating circularly polarized subpulses from two cross-polarized undulators. The polarization profile of the pulses is probed by angle-resolved photoemission and above-threshold ionization of helium; the results agree with solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. The stability limit of the scheme is mainly set by electron-beam energy fluctuations, however, at a level that will not compromise experiments in the XUV. Our results demonstrate the potential to improve the resolution and element selectivity of methods based on polarization shaping and may lead to the development of new coherent control schemes for probing and manipulating core electrons in matter.
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| 6. |
- Makos, I., et al.
(författare)
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Attosecond photoelectron spectroscopy using high-harmonic generation and seeded free-electron lasers
- 2023
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Ingår i: 2023 Photonics North, PN 2023. - 9798350326734
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, we use attosecond time-resolved techniques to investigate photoionization dynamics on its natural timescale, employing both high harmonic generation and seeded free-electron lasers to generate extreme ultraviolet attosecond pulse trains for our studies. With the former approach, we examine the role of nuclear motion in molecular photoionization dynamics, while with the latter we introduce a novel attosecond timing tool for single-shot characterization of the relative phase between the XUV and the infrared field.
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| 7. |
- Borne, Kurtis D., et al.
(författare)
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Ultrafast electronic relaxation pathways of the molecular photoswitch quadricyclane
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE CHEMISTRY. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 16, s. 499-505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The light-induced ultrafast switching between molecular isomers norbornadiene and quadricyclane can reversibly store and release a substantial amount of chemical energy. Prior work observed signatures of ultrafast molecular dynamics in both isomers upon ultraviolet excitation but could not follow the electronic relaxation all the way back to the ground state experimentally. Here we study the electronic relaxation of quadricyclane after exciting in the ultraviolet (201 nanometres) using time-resolved gas-phase extreme ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy combined with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. We identify two competing pathways by which electronically excited quadricyclane molecules relax to the electronic ground state. The fast pathway (<100 femtoseconds) is distinguished by effective coupling to valence electronic states, while the slow pathway involves initial motions across Rydberg states and takes several hundred femtoseconds. Both pathways facilitate interconversion between the two isomers, albeit on different timescales, and we predict that the branching ratio of norbornadiene/quadricyclane products immediately after returning to the electronic ground state is approximately 3:2.
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| 8. |
- Finetti, P., et al.
(författare)
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Optical setup for two-colour experiments at the low density matter beamline of FERMI
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of optics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0150-536X .- 2040-8978 .- 2040-8986. ; 19:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The low density matter beamline of the free electron laser facility FERMI is dedicated to the study of atomic, molecular and cluster systems, and here we describe the optical setup available for two-colour experiments. Samples can be exposed to ultrashort pulses from a Ti:Sapphire source (fundamental, or second or third harmonic), and ultrashort light pulses of FERMI in the EUV/soft x-ray region with a well-defined temporal delay, and negligible jitter (<10 fs) compared to the pulse durations (40–100 fs). Detection schemes available include electron, ion and optical spectroscopy. The majority of experiments using this apparatus are pump-and-probe, where either wavelength can be pump or probe, but the system is also useful for other techniques, such as multi-photon spectroscopy, cross-correlation measurements and alignment of molecules in space.
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| 9. |
- Finetti, P., et al.
(författare)
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Pulse duration of seeded free electron lasers
- 2017
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Ingår i: Physical Review X. - 2160-3308. ; 7:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pulse duration, and, more generally, the temporal intensity profile of free-electron laser (FEL) pulses, is of utmost importance for exploring the new perspectives offered by FELs; it is a nontrivial experimental parameter that needs to be characterized. We measured the pulse shape of an extreme ultraviolet externally seeded FEL operating in high-gain harmonic generation mode. Two different methods based on the cross-correlation of the FEL pulses with an external optical laser were used. The two methods, one capable of single-shot performance, may both be implemented as online diagnostics in FEL facilities. The measurements were carried out at the seeded FEL facility FERMI. The FEL temporal pulse characteristics were measured and studied in a range of FEL wavelengths and machine settings, and they were compared to the predictions of a theoretical model. The measurements allowed a direct observation of the pulse lengthening and splitting at saturation, in agreement with the proposed theory.
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| 10. |
- Kumar Maroju, Praveen, et al.
(författare)
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Attosecond pulse shaping using a seeded free-electron laser
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 578
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Attosecond pulses are central to the investigation of valence- and core-electron dynamics on their natural timescales. The reproducible generation and characterization of attosecond waveforms has been demonstrated so far only through the process of high-order harmonic generation. Several methods for shaping attosecond waveforms have been proposed, including the use of metallic filters, multilayer mirrors and manipulation of the driving field. However, none of these approaches allows the flexible manipulation of the temporal characteristics of the attosecond waveforms, and they suffer from the low conversion efficiency of the high-order harmonic generation process. Free-electron lasers, by contrast, deliver femtosecond, extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray pulses with energies ranging from tens of microjoules to a few millijoules. Recent experiments have shown that they can generate subfemtosecond spikes, but with temporal characteristics that change shot-to-shot. Here we report reproducible generation of high-energy (microjoule level) attosecond waveforms using a seeded free-electron laser. We demonstrate amplitude and phase manipulation of the harmonic components of an attosecond pulse train in combination with an approach for its temporal reconstruction. The results presented here open the way to performing attosecond time-resolved experiments with free-electron lasers.
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