Controlling the Bandwidth of High Harmonic Emission Peaks with the Spectral Polarization of the Driver

Abstract

We demonstrate a High-Harmonic-Generation scheme which offers control over the bandwidth of the spectral peaks. The scheme uses a vectorial two-color driver with close central frequencies, generated by spectrally splitting a linearly-polarized input femtosecond-duration laser pulse and subsequent recombining the two halves after their polarizations are made cross-elliptical and counter-rotating. This results in the generation of new emission channels which coalesce into broad odd-integer HHG peaks, the bandwidth of each being proportional to the frequency difference between the two colors, to the harmonic order and inversely-proportional to the driver fields' ellipticities. Peak-broadening to the extent that a supercontinuum is formed is also demonstrated. This source will find use in HHG applications benefiting from high-flux broadband extreme ultra-violet radiation, such as attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy.