Strong-Field Nonlinear Optics of Sub- and Near- Wavelength Scale Particles

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Modern multi-terawatt, femtosecond chirped pulse amplification lasers easily make possible studies of matter subject to unprecedented light intensities. The interactions of this laser radiation with various types of materials have accessed a new regime of strong field nonlinear optics, a regime in which perturbation theory breaks down and very high order nonlinear processes are possible. The experimental work in this proposal is aimed at understanding the nonlinear optical properties of particles of sizes ranging from a few nanometers to a few microns in the strong field regime. These studies are of interest not only because they will elucidate the electron dynamics in these strong field interactions but also because such studies may lead to enhanced conversion efficiencies of laser light to short wavelength light, and therefore have a direct bearing on the development of coherent, ultrafast-laser-driven short wavelength sources.