Abstract

The recent advances in attosecond pulse (ASP) generation have opened the way to a study of light-matter interactions on unprecedently short time scales. To date, the linear response of atoms and molecules to the ASP field has been the focus of many investigations [1]. However, in the nearest future novel ASP sources (such as the proposed XFELs [2]) with intensities comparable to and higher than the atomic intensity (I_a = 3×10¹⁶W/cm²) are expected to be accessible. The interaction of such ASPs with matter would be essentially nonperturbative. This brings up the question: What nonlinear phenomena could be observed under these conditions?

© 2007 IEEE