Femtosecond high Average-power Micro-joule Extreme-Ultraviolet Source (FAMEUS)

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Intense, femtosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sources, currently found only at billion-dollar free-electron laser facilities, are opening new opportunities in physics, chemistry, quantum technology, biology and medicine. In this project, we propose to apply the findings by T. Ozaki's group (INRS-EMT) in high-order harmonic generation from laser ablation media, to reduce the size and cost of such intense XUV sources to a more modest laboratory scale (fitting in a standard university laboratory, with < $1 million total cost), thereby significantly increasing the accessibility of such sources. In particular, we will study the use of intense and highly efficient resonant harmonics (RH), with efficiencies that are an order of magnitude higher than conventional gas harmonics. The results of such studies will be used to develop a unique and compact Femtosecond high Average-power (mW-class) Micro-joule (> 1 µJ/pulse) Extreme-Ultraviolet Source (FAMEUS), or « la source Femtoseconde d'Ultraviolet extrême à haute puissance Moyenne et à haute Énergie (FUMÉ) » in French. We will work with few-cycle Inc. to develop an energetic, wavelength-tunable femtosecond laser in the visible and near-infrared regime, with which we will study RH from various targets. This study will provide data that will allow us to design FAMEUS with an even higher average power of > 10 mW (FAMEUS+). Through this project, few-cycle Inc. will also gain the expertise and be given the first option of license to commercialize FAMEUS, which should attract significant interest from the scientific and technological community. Further, we will work with Axis Photonique Inc. to develop an endstation for FAMEUS and use it to characterize their new XUV camera. Using the FAMEUS endstation, Axis Photonique will be able to provide to potential customers concrete data on their camera on experiments relative to FELs, giving them and their XUV camera a significant competitive advantage compared with their competitors, thus allowing the company to grow.