SPP 1840:  Quantum Dynamics in Tailored Intense Fields (QUTIF)

• Subject Area: Physics
• Term: from 2015 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 255652344

In this Priority Programme, the dynamics of strongly perturbed quantum systems is to be investigated in the nonrelativistic regime with tailored radiation fields on the femtosecond and attosecond time scale. By combining experimental and theoretical expertise and bringing together the fields of optics, quantum dynamics and chemistry, the programme aims to achieve milestones such as the control and observation of subfemtosecond charge migration or the laser-based recognition and manipulation of chiral molecules. The main focus lies on gas-phase systems, in order to watch microscopic phenomena with minimal disturbance by their environment.On the atomic physics side of this programme, fundamental issues are the interplay between multielectron interactions and light-induced dynamics as well as the boundary between classical and quantum physics. The attosecond temporal structure of laser-induced ionization may be analysed with a range of approaches going beyond existing attoclock and two-colour high-harmonic spectroscopy methods and extending these methods to multielectron dynamics. The electron spin in the strong-field regime, in particular the generation of spin-polarized electrons from laser ionization is a possible subject of study.The physics of molecular systems in intense few-cycle, multicolour and polarization controlled light pulses is a mostly unexplored territory. One aim is to investigate the launch and observation of ultrafast charge migration ¿ an electronic effect occurring faster than nuclear motion. Electron wave-packet dynamics can be controlled with tailored light, for example by exploiting the wave-length dependence of light-molecule interactions to suppress or enhance multiorbital dynamics or to reveal the low-energy structure in photoelectron spectra from mid-infrared irradiation. Laser-induced orientation of molecules may be established and used for applications.In the realm of chemistry, tailored fields hold new opportunities for controlling chemical dynamcs by nonresonant and resonant dynamic Stark shifts, tracing electron dynamics with attosecond precision and for the recognition of the absolute configuration of chiral molecules. Via high-harmonic spectroscopy of molecules with suitably chosen fields, it may be possible to achieve ultrafast imaging of structure and dynamics on the sub-atomic length scale.The application of strong tailored fields to solid-state systems and clusters in a quantum mechanical, i.e. non-plasma, regime holds many open questions. Strong-field processes in unconventional media such as exploding droplets doped with nanoparticles and in laser-induced filaments imply new perspectives such as alternative attosecond pulse sources and high-harmonic generation in inhomogeneous near fields.Proposals for this Priority Programme should take the control of microscopic processes with light to a new level, both in terms of temporal and spatial resolution as well as regarding the investigated systems.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• International Connection: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Israel, Switzerland, USA

Projects

• Analysis and control of collective, coherent, and correlated electron dynamics in laser-driven metal nanostructures (Applicants Fennel, Thomas ;  Hommelhoff, Peter ;  Kling, Matthias )
• "Attoclock-Rabbitt" - Bicircular laser fields as tool for molecular ionization time measurements (Applicant Dörner, Reinhard )
• Attosecond spectroscopy in the liquid phase (Applicant Kienberger, Reinhard )
• Attosecond time-resolved streaking spectroscopy as a probe of strong field effects at the solid-vacuum interface of layered materials (Applicant Pfeiffer, Walter )
• Charge-directed reactivity of molecules and its control by short laser pulses (Applicant Kuleff, Alexander )
• Coherent Control of a Binary Reaction: Mg + H2 (Applicant Koch, Christiane )
• Coherent interactions of strong optical near-fields with free elecrons (Applicants Groß, Ph.D., Petra ;  Lienau, Ph.D., Christoph ;  Ropers, Claus ;  Schäfer, Sascha )
• Control of symmetry breaking in multiphoton ionization of chiral molecules (Applicant Wollenhaupt, Matthias )
• Controlling ionization with light-pulse derivatives (Applicants Rost, Jan Michael ;  Saalmann, Ulf )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Lein, Manfred )
• Creating, imaging, and controlling dynamic chirality induced by molecular rotations (Applicants Trippel, Sebastian ;  Yachmenev, Andrey )
• Diatomic Molecules in Intense Laser Fields (Applicant Saenz, Alejandro )
• Electronic structure and dynamics in strong fields: precision spectra for multi-electron systems (Applicant Scrinzi, Armin )
• Exploring and controlling helium nanoplasmas in new regimes (Applicant Stienkemeier, Frank )
• Extracting electron dynamics in solids via observation of low-order harmonics of tailored strong fields. (Applicants Babushkin, Ihar ;  Morgner, Uwe )
• Generation, Characterization and Application of Chiral Attosecond Pulses (Applicants Ivanov, Mikhail ;  Zhavarankau, Mikalai )
• Identification and control of ultrafast spin dynamics in ferromagnetic solids by tailored fields (Applicants Eschenlohr, Andrea ;  Sharma, Ph.D., Sangeeta )
• Imaging chemical dynamics through laser-induced electron diffraction in the molecular-frame (Applicants Küpper, Jochen ;  Rouzée, Arnaud )
• Imaging Electrons and Ions produced by two colour Counter rotating laser fields of variable ellipticity (Applicant Dörner, Reinhard )
• Ionization Channel-Resolved Molecular Orbital Imprint in Laser-Driven Electron Rescattering (Applicant Mikosch, Jochen )
• Laser-assisted ionization and spin-polarization of electrons in strong twisted and phase-controlled light fields (Applicant Fritzsche, Stephan )
• Laser-tailored, ultrafast spin-dependent dynamics in chiral/helical molecules (Applicants Barth, Ingo ;  Berakdar, Jamal )
• Momentum distributions from bichromatic ionization of atoms and molecules (Applicant Lein, Manfred )
• Petahertz field reconstruction for the investigation of ultrafast electronic dynamics (Applicant Sansone, Giuseppe )
• Phase-dependent ionization and CE-phase measurement at long wavelengths (Applicant Paulus, Gerhard G. )
• Phase locked bichromatic polarization tailored femtosecond laser fields to study and control electron dynamics in chiral molecules. (Applicant Baumert, Thomas )
• Photoelectron tomography of electron vortices from tailored CEP-stable few-cycle and multicolour optical fields (Applicant Wollenhaupt, Matthias )
• Probing molecular chirality and chiral dynamics using High Harmonic generation (Applicant Smirnova, Olga )
• Quantum control with intense X-ray pulses: A theoretical approach (Applicants Rost, Jan Michael ;  Saalmann, Ulf )
• RABBITT with tailored fields: Measuring dipole transitions in the continuum (Applicant Harth, Anne )
• Simulation of the electron dynamics of chiral systems in CEP-stabilized, intense laser fields (Applicant Gräfe, Stefanie )
• SOLSTICE - SOLids in Strong Terahertz and Infrared CE-phase-stable waveforms (Applicants Kärtner, Franz Xaver ;  Rubio, Angel )
• Spatio-Temporal Tailoring of Light Fields for Sub-Cycle Resolved Measurements of Strong-Field Effects (Applicant Pfeiffer, Adrian )
• Strong-Field Dissociation of state-selected H2+(v,J) (Applicant Vrakking, Marc )
• The HeH+ isotopologues in intense asymmetric waveforms (Applicants Gräfe, Stefanie ;  Lein, Manfred ;  Paulus, Gerhard G. )
• Theoretical and experimental investigation of Kramers-Henneberger states in alkaline and noble gas atoms (Applicants Ivanov, Mikhail ;  Kovacev, Milutin )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Manfred Lein