Field propagation-induced directionality of carrier-envelope phase-controlled photoemission from nanospheres.

F Süßmann, L Seiffert, S Zherebtsov, V Mondes, J Stierle, M Arbeiter, J Plenge, P Rupp, C Peltz, A Kessel, S A Trushin, B Ahn, D Kim, C Graf, E Rühl, M F Kling, T Fennel

Index: Nat. Commun. 6 , 7944, (2015)

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Abstract

Near-fields of non-resonantly laser-excited nanostructures enable strong localization of ultrashort light fields and have opened novel routes to fundamentally modify and control electronic strong-field processes. Harnessing spatiotemporally tunable near-fields for the steering of sub-cycle electron dynamics may enable ultrafast optoelectronic devices and unprecedented control in the generation of attosecond electron and photon pulses. Here we utilize unsupported sub-wavelength dielectric nanospheres to generate near-fields with adjustable structure and study the resulting strong-field dynamics via photoelectron imaging. We demonstrate field propagation-induced tunability of the emission direction of fast recollision electrons up to a regime, where nonlinear charge interaction effects become dominant in the acceleration process. Our analysis supports that the timing of the recollision process remains controllable with attosecond resolution by the carrier-envelope phase, indicating the possibility to expand near-field-mediated control far into the realm of high-field phenomena.