Bright, Coherent, Ultrafast Soft X-Ray Harmonics Spanning the Water Window from a Tabletop Light Source

摘要

We demonstrate fully phase matched high-order harmonic generation withemission spanning the water window spectral region important for bio- andnano-imaging and a breadth of materials and molecular dynamics studies. We alsogenerate the broadest bright coherent bandwidth (~300eV) to date obtained fromany light source, small or large. The harmonic photon flux at 0.5 keV is 10^3higher than demonstrated previously, making it possible for the first time todemonstrate spatial coherence in the water window. The continuum emission isconsistent with a single attosecond burst, that extends bright attosecondpulses into the soft x-ray region.