arXiv · 2609.31534
Generation of 10-TW Attosecond X-Ray Pulses in a Free Electron Laser
Abstract
Attosecond pulses provide direct access to electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, and solids on their natural timescales. While table-top sources have achieved attosecond pulse durations at moderate intensities, extending attosecond science to high peak powers in the x-ray regime requires free-electron lasers (FELs). Here we report the generation of soft-x-ray pulses with a duration of $\sim\!100$ as and peak power on the order of 10 TW at the European XFEL. The unprecedented combination of pulse duration and peak power is enabled by operation of a soft-x-ray undulator at high electron energy together with five-stage bunch compression, producing ultrahigh peak currents. These millijoule-level attosecond x-ray pulses establish a new regime for attosecond science.
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E. A. Schneidmiller, S. Serkez, I. Zagorodnov, N. Gerasimova, M. Scholz, N. Golubeva, M. Guetg, G. Geloni, S. Karabekyan, F. Sottocorona, A. Trebushinin, G. Perosa, S. Tomin, F. Mayet, Th. Maltezopoulos, J. Gruenert, J. Laksman, H. Ahmadi Rashtabadi, T. M. Baumann, R. Boll, F. Calegari, G. Catacchio, S. Dold, D. E. Ferreira de Lima, L. Funke, W. Helml, M. Ilchen, T. Mazza, M. Meyer, T. Mullins, M. Robinson, S. Savio, K. Scharei, Ph. Schmidt, A. Thiel, S. Usenko, L. Wuelfing, W. Decking. 2026-09-25. Generation of 10-TW Attosecond X-Ray Pulses in a Free Electron Laser. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31534
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