International Postdoctoral Fellows Program: Single-atom Effects Responsible for the Generation of High Harmonics

该奖项是根据国际博士后研究员计划颁发的，该计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在外国公认的卓越中心进行为期3至12个月的研究。该项目的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并提供了使用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件的机会。这一奖项将支持罗切斯特大学的贾斯汀·佩特罗斯博士为期12个月的博士后研究访问，前往俄罗斯莫斯科的普通物理研究所，俄罗斯科学院与M.V.Fedorov教授合作。最近发现，当强激光与原子相互作用时，可以产生激光的高次谐波。在可以使用微扰近似的范围之外，产生相对于低次谐波的高次谐波的效率可能高得令人惊讶。当激光将原子驱动到处于电离边缘时，就会出现高次谐波。理解高次谐波产生的问题有两个部分：1)单原子对入射激光的响应，以及2)原子关于发射的谐光的相位匹配的集体行为。建议的研究主要集中在导致高次谐波产生的单原子效应上。我们将研究在非线性势垒中被驱动的电子的经典运动方程的关联性。我们还将研究其他单原子对谐波产生的描述。该奖项建议提供用于国际旅行的资金、为期12个月的津贴、受抚养人津贴和实验室费用。

This award is under the International Postdoctoral Fellows Program, which enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twelve months of research at foreign centers of proven excellence. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twelve-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Justin Peatross of the University of Rochester to go to Moscow, Russia to the General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences to work with Professor M. V. Fedorov. It has recently been discovered that high-order harmonics of laser light can be created when an intense laser interacts with atoms. The efficiency of generating the higher harmonics relative to the lower ones can be surprisingly high, outside of the range wherein perturbative approximations can be used. The high harmonics appear when a laser drives atoms so strongly that they are on the verge of ionization. The problem of understanding high-harmonic generation has two parts: 1) the single-atom response to incident laser light, and 2) the collective behavior of the atoms regarding the matching of the phases of the emitted harmonic light. The proposed research centers primarily on the single-atom effects responsible for the generation of high harmonics. An investigation will be made into the relevance of the classical equations of motion of a driven electron trapped in a non-linear potential well. Other single-atom descriptions of harmonic generation will also be investigated. The award recommendation provides funds to cover international travel, a stipend for twelve months, a dependent allowance and money for lab fees.