Control of electron dynamics with a multicycle two-color spatially inhomogeneous field for efficient single-attosecond-pulse generation

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in a two-color multicycle inhomogeneous laser field. The results show that the ionization, acceleration, and recombination of the electrons in the HHG process can be simultaneously controlled with the combination of the temporal waveform synthesis and spatial nonhomogeneity of the laser field. Based on the quantum-mechanical and classical models, the physical mechanism of the supercontinuum generation in such a temporally and spatially shaped field is analyzed and discussed. In contrast to the case of the fundamental field alone, the supercontinuum in the two-color inhomogeneous field shows a constant intensity, a higher yield, and a broader bandwidth, which is beneficial for the efficient generation of broadband-isolated attosecond pulses from multicycle laser fields.