ultraSHOrt tunable deep-and vacuum-UV generation for TIME-resolved molecular dynamics – ShoTime

The ShoTime project aims at producing bright and reliable sources of tunable ultrashort Vacuum- and Deep-UV pulses (120-350 nm, sub-10 fs) at 166 kHz repetition rate, and at using them in combination with sub-10 fs visible or XUV pulses to probe ultrafast molecular dynamics by coincidence electron-ion imaging. Starting from a cutting-edge Yb:fiber laser and its second harmonic, we will develop different postcompression schemes at 1030 nm and 515 nm to deliver sub-10 fs pulses at the 166 kHz repetition rate. The postcompressed pulses will then be focused in gas-filled hollow-core capillary, where their shortness and intensity will enable the production of tunable VUV-DUV radiation in linear or circular polarization by the generation of a dispersive wave resulting from soliton-fission dynamics. The tunable and circularly polarized VUV-DUV sub-10 fs pulses will finally be combined with an ultrashort visible or XUV source to track the ultrafast electronic dynamics of chiral wavepackets excitation or ionization of chiral molecules. These time-resolved dynamics will provide a unique picture on the decoherence induced by electro-nuclear couplings and the appearance of transient chirality.