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Ultrafast photonics is the study of light and its interaction with matter on short timescales, typically less than a picosecond. This includes investigating processes that occur in atoms and molecules, such as the dynamics and correlations between electrons during ionization, and often employs ultrafast lasers or mode-locked lasers.
The study finds coherent spin waves, generated by ultrafast laser pulses, drive antiferromagnetic domain walls (DWs) in Sr2Cu3O4Cl2 at a record ~50 km/s. DW propagation direction is controllable via laser helicity and DW winding number, explained by in-plane magnon mode-induced dynamics unique to easy-plane anisotropy magnets.
A multipass optical parametric amplifier leverages dispersion-engineered dielectric mirrors to overcome the gain versus bandwidth trade-off and achieve broadband amplification with high gain within a compact device.
Energy-resolved optical experiments of ultrafast magnetization dynamics indicate a complex interplay between the spin and band structure dynamics and the magneto-optical signal. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that the spin dynamics are intrinsically energy-dependent and that the magneto-optical response is determined by nonequilibrium hole dynamics on early timescales.
Self-compressible multipass cavities for near-infrared few-cycle pulse generation rely on fixed-dispersion mirrors, which limits scalability and tunability. The authors propose to embed a bulk nonlinear plate providing weak anomalous dispersion within a tunable gas-filled cavity contributing normal dispersion, enabling dynamic and fine control of the net dispersion toward the anomalous regime and efficient broadband generation via nonlinear spatio-temporal effects.
A spectrally and polarization-resolved wavefront detector can measure the spatio-temporal vector electric field of ultrashort laser pulses in a single shot.
Attosecond pulses in the optical regime, formed as solitons during infrared laser-pulse compression in a hollow-core fibre, may open up attosecond science in molecules and solids.
A two-dimensional spectroscopic technique to probe the strength of electron–phonon coupling has the capability to simultaneously resolve the phonon mode and the electron transition energy — and is bringing fresh insight into the complex interactions of phonons and electrons in a range of materials.
By combining one-photon ultraviolet excitation with X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the nitrogen K-edge with advanced quantum-chemical calculations, researchers unveiled the fascinating and mysterious electronic dynamics of pyrazine at conical intersections. Here, electrons and nuclei dance in harmony until water steps in to disrupt the rhythm.
