Chemistry, Light and Dynamics Group Seminar

High harmonic generation (HHG) is a universal phenomenon seen in all states of matter, and produces coherent pulsed Extreme UV (EUV)up to soft X-ray energies. It is a powerful tool for probing electronic and structural dynamics on few femtosecond timescales, particularly in organic media where the Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen K-edges can be accessed. The emitted harmonic spectrum can also provide insight into the structure of the generating medium, through HHG spectroscopy. I will show different methods to produce “water window” photons through HHG and examples of time resolved spectroscopy on organic polymers such as P3HT. We will also show recent results from HHG spectroscopy in both liquid isopropanol and wide band dielectrics, looking at how these spectra can be used to extract information about scattering and structure.