Control of the field of few-cycle optical pulses has had an enormous impact on attosecond science. Subcycle pulses open the potential for non-adiabatic phase matching while concentrating the electric field so it can be used most efficiently. However, subcycle field transients have been difficult to generate. We exploit the perturbative response of a sub-100 µm thick monocrystalline quartz plate irradiated by an intense few-cycle 1.8 µm pulse, which creates a phase-controlled supercontinuum spectrum. Within the quartz, the pulse becomes space–time coupled as it generates a parallel second harmonic. Vacuum propagation naturally leads to a subcycle electric-field transient whose envelope is sculpted by the carrier envelope phase of the incident radiation. We show that a second medium (either gas or solid) can generate isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet region. With no optical elements between the components, the process is scalable to very high energy pulses and allows the use of diverse media.

几个周期的光脉冲场的控制已对原子秒科学产生了巨大影响。子周期脉冲在集中电场的同时打开了非绝热相位匹配的潜力，因此可以最有效地利用它。但是，子周期场瞬态很难产生。我们利用1.8 µm的强几个周期脉冲辐照的厚度小于100 µm的单晶石英板的摄动响应，从而产生一个相位控制的超连续谱。在石英内部，脉冲产生时空耦合，并产生平行的二次谐波。真空传播自然会导致子周期电场瞬变，其包络由入射辐射的载流子包络相雕刻而成。我们表明，第二种介质（气体或固体）可以在极紫外区域生成孤立的阿秒脉冲。在组件之间没有光学元件的情况下，该过程可扩展至非常高的能量脉冲，并允许使用多种介质。