Next Generation Attosecond Technology (Translation Grant)

阿秒光源使科学家能够直接观察原子和分子在自然长度（+ngstrom）和时间（亚飞秒）尺度上的动力学。这个前沿领域被称为阿秒科学，因为仅次于飞秒的最小单位是1阿秒(1 as) = 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000 s。这个时间尺度上的电子运动支撑着许多微观的自然现象，比如分子内部和表面的电荷转移。因此，阿秒科学有望在物理、化学和最终的生物学领域，以及纳米科学和工程领域产生影响和应用。例如，科学家们可能很快就能实时记录化学反应过程中分子电子的三维演变，这是阿秒技术的发展，它源于一系列技术的协同作用(包括高功率飞秒激光、超快和x射线光学、电子成像)，并通过增加对原子和分子系统的相干相互作用的理解，同时使用强烈的飞秒激光脉冲和阿秒持续时间的短波辐射同步脉冲，通常用于泵浦探针配置。拟议的研究将建立在以前的基础技术项目中建立的大量阿秒技术基础上，以开发下一代阿秒技术。三个主要目标是：构建强大的阿秒脉冲源，其波长可广泛调谐，从而在科学应用上更加通用；开发产生深紫外阿秒脉冲的新技术，其波长将允许它们直接与许多材料系统中的共振耦合；并探索通过干涉测量样品散射或发射的全电场来探测物质阿秒动力学的新方法。成功地解决这些前沿挑战将调动大量新的科学能力，并可能对该领域产生普遍影响。

Attosecond light sources have enabled scientists to observe directly the dynamics of atoms and molecules on their natural length (+ngstrom) and time (sub-femtosecond) scales. This frontier field has been called Attosecond Science, since the next smallest unit than a femtosecond is 1 attosecond (1 as) = 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000 s. Electronic motion on this timescale underpins many microscopic natural phenomena, such as charge transfer within molecules and at surfaces. Therefore, Attosecond Science promises to have impact and application across the fields of physics, chemistry and eventually biology, as well as in nano-science and engineering. For example, scientists may soon be able to record in real-time the 3D evolution of a molecular electron during a chemical reactionWhat has unlocked this is the development of Attosecond Technology arising from the synergy of a range of technologies (including high-power femtosecond lasers, ultrafast and x-ray optics, electron imaging) and through increased understanding of the coherent interaction of atomic and molecular systems with both intense femtosecond laser pulses and synchronised pulses of short-wavelength radiation of attosecond duration often used in pump-probe configuration.The proposed research will build upon a substantial Attosecond Technological base built up in a previous Basic Technology project to develop the next generation of Attosecond Technology. The three main objectives are to construct robust sources of attosecond pulses that are broadly tunable in wavelength and thus much more versatile in their scientific applicability; to allow develop new techniques for the generation of deep ultra-violet attosecond pulses whose wavelength will permit them to couple directly to resonances in many material systems; and to explore new methods for probing attosecond dynamics in matter by interferometric measurements of the full electric field that is scattered or emitted by the sample. Successfully tackling these front-line challenges will lever a great deal of new scientific capability and is likely to have a pervasive effect on the field.