We describe an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) interferometric technique that can resolve ∼100 zeptoseconds (10 −21 s) delay between high harmonic emissions from two successive sources separated spatially along the laser propagation in a single Gaussian beam focus. Several improvements on our earlier work have been implemented in the advanced interferometer. In this paper, we report on the design, characterization and optimization of the advanced Gouy phase interferometer. Temporal coherence for both atomic argon and molecular hydrogen gases has been observed for several harmonic orders. It has been shown that phase shift of XUV pulses mainly originates from the emission time delay due to the Gouy phase in the laser focus and the observed interference is independent of the generating medium. This interferometer can be a useful tool for measuring the relative phase shift between any two gas species and for studying ultrafast dynamics of their electronic and nuclear motion.
High-harmonic spectroscopy can access structural and dynamical information on molecular systems encoded in the amplitude and phase of high-harmonic generation (HHG) signals. However, measurement of the harmonic phase is a daunting task. Here, we present a precise measurement of HHG phase difference between two isotopes of molecular hydrogen using the advanced extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) Gouy phase interferometer. The measured phase difference is about 200 mrad, corresponding to ~3 attoseconds (1 as=10−18 s) time delay which is nearly independent of harmonic order. The measurements agree very well with numerical calculations of a four-dimensional time-dependent Schödinger equation. Numerical simulations also reveal the effects of molecular orientation and intramolecular two-center interference on the measured phase difference. This technique opens a new avenue for measuring the phase of harmonic emission for different atoms and molecules. Together with isomeric or isotopic comparisons, it also enables the observation of subtle effects of molecular structures and nuclear motion on electron dynamics in strong laser fields.
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