Ultrafast laser science

In ultrafast laser science the emergence of attosecond laser pulses raises the prospect of studying electronic wavepacket motion on the natural timescales of this motion in nature, namely the atomic unit of time (1 a.u. = 24 attosec-onds = 0.024 femtoseconds) [1,2]. Attosecond science may have a profound impact on the way we understand photo-induced physical and chemical processes. 

J. Kasparian, in Progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science II., ed. by... 

From the third volume, the PUILS series has been edited in liaison with the activities of Center for Ultrafast Intense Laser Science in The University of Tokyo, and JILS (Japan Intense Light Field Science Society), the latter of which has also been responsible for sponsoring the series and making the regular publication of its volumes possible. From the present volume, the Consortium on Education and Research on Advanced Laser Science, the University of Tokyo, joins this publication activity as one of the sponsoring programs. The series has also collaborated since its inception with the annual symposium series of ISUILS (http //www.isuils.jp), which is designed to stimulate interdisciplinary discussion at the forefront of ultrafast intense laser science. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the authors who have kindly contributed to the PUILS series by describing their most recent work at the frontiers of ultrafast intense laser science. We also thank the reviewers... 

Ultrafast Laser and Spectroscopy Laboratory, Materials Science Centre University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands... 

S. Zou, A. Kondorskiy, G. Mil nikov and H. Nakamura, Laser control of chemical dynamics. L. Control of electronic transitions by quadratic chirping. In Progress in Ultrafast intense Laser Science (Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2005)... 

We hope this book series of PUILS will convey the excitement of Ultrafast Intense Laser Science to the readers, and stimulate interdisciplinary interactions among researchers, thus paving the way to explorations of new frontiers. 

Abstract A challenging task in surface science is to unravel the dynamics of molecules on surfaces associated with, for example, surface molecular motion and (bimolecular) reactions. As these processes typically take place on femtosecond time scales, ultrafast lasers must be used in these studies. We demonstrate two complementary approaches to study these ultrafast molecular dynamics at metal surfaces. In the first, the molecules are studied after desorbing from the surface initiated by a laser pulse using the so called time-of-flight technique. In the second approach, molecules are studied in real time during their diffusion over the surface by using surface-specific pump-probe spectroscopy. 

Kanno M, Kono H, Fujimura Y (2011) In Yamanouchi K, Charalambidis D, Normand D (eds.) Progress in ultrafast intense laser science, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, pp 53-78... 

Laarmann T, Schulz CP, Hertel IV (2008) In Yamanouchi K, Chin SL, Agostini P, Ferrante G (eds) Progress in ultrafast intense laser science III. Springer, Heidelbeig, pp 129-148... 

K. Yamanouchi, A. D. Bandrauk, and G. Gerber, eds., Progress in Ultrafast Intense Laser Science VI, (Springer, Berlin, 2010). 

One of the most exciting possibilities of ultrafast laser techniques is to follow the course of fundamental chemical reactions on the relevant timescale at which they occur. Previously, it was only possible to know the individual states of molecules A and B before reacting and the final state of the compound molecule AB. In contrast, the details of the chemical reaction can now be followed on a femtosecond scale with information on how chemical bonds are formed and broken. In particular, the existence of transition states has been demonstrated. This new field of science is frequently referred to as femtochemistry [9.191-9.204], for which A. Zewail was awarded a Nobel prize in chemistry (1999). 

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