This award will allow for the establishment of a strong research and educational development program in the field of ultrafast atomic, molecular, and optical sciences in the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona. The program will study atomic and molecular response to strong transient electric fields with simultaneous use of IR and XUV pulses in attosecond precision experiments. This will involve measurement and control of electronic and nuclear dynamics in highly-excited molecules using attosecond/femtosecond resolved pump-probe experiments. Ultrashort XUV excitation provides direct access to an interesting and challenging regime, where atoms and molecules are energetically far from their ground-state configuration. Using attosecond time-resolved XUV+IR experiments, we can measure the effect of strong electric fields on excited bound-state wavepackets in atomic systems. These measurements will offer new opportunities for the control of electron dynamics on attosecond time-scales. In molecules, the XUV excitation is associated with fast inner-valence electron phenomenon, correlated two-electron processes, and strongly interdependent electronic and nuclear dynamics. The understanding of time-resolved dynamics in this regime has been very limited due to the spectroscopic difficulties in probing inherently low cross-section photo-fragmentation channels; the complexity of the potential energy surface manifold in highly-excited systems; and the paucity of efficient, tunable, femtosecond/attosecond XUV photon sources. This project aims at investigating this regime by utilizing cutting-edge research tools, such as, tailored XUV pulses, and efficient photo-fragment imaging schemes.
The broader aspects include the CAREER educational objectives that will increase the representation of Hispanic students in physics research; directly involve undergraduate students in ultrafast science research; and lead to the development and web-based dissemination of interactive learning programs. This training and outreach, along with the forefront research will help make our nation more competitive in the field of attosecond and femtosecond science. The educational plan targets students from an under-represented group. In collaboration with a primarily Hispanic institution (UTEP), Hispanic students will obtain hands-on experience and vital exposure in a cutting edge field of research. With the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students, the educational program leads to the development of interactive learning programs in optics/AMO, along with a method for web-based publication and dissemination, in a manner that will be useful to wider community. The research spin-offs of this program will be in the form of new insights and discoveries, which will impact other related fields such as quantum optics, theoretical atomic and molecular physics, coherent control, atmospheric chemistry, chemical imaging and radiation chemistry.
