Optimization of the wave front of high order harmonics

Julien Gautier (1) , Philippe Zeitoun (1) , C. Hauri (1) , Anne-Sophie Morlens (1) , G. Rey (1) , C. Valentin (1) , E. Papalarazou (1) , Jean-Philippe Goddet (1) , Stéphane Sebban (1) , Frédéric Burgy (1) , P. Mercere (2) , Mourad Idir (2) , Guillaume Dovillaire (3) , Xavier Levecq (3) , Samuel Bucourt (3) , Marta Fajardo (4) , H. Merdji (5) , J.-P. Caumes (5)

1 LOA - Laboratoire d'optique appliquée
2 SSOLEIL - Synchrotron SOLEIL
3 Imagine Optic
4 GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear
5 SPAM - Service des Photons, Atomes et Molécules

We present a full optimization of the high harmonics wave front owing to the use of a soft X-ray Hartmann sensor. The sensor was calibrated using a high harmonic source with an accuracy of λ/50 root-mean-square (rms) with λ around 30 nm. We observed a high harmonic wave front of λ/7 rms, which is two times the diffraction-limit, astigmatism being the dominant aberration for every condition of generation. By clipping slightly the unfocused high harmonic beam, it is possible to produce a diffraction-limited beam containing approximately 90% of the incident energy.

Domains: Atomic and Molecular Clusters [physics.atm-clus]; Optics [physics.optics]; Plasma Physics [physics.plasm-ph]

Julien Gautier, Philippe Zeitoun, C. Hauri, Anne-Sophie Morlens, G. Rey, et al.. Optimization of the wave front of high order harmonics. The European Physical Journal D : Atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics, 2008, 48 (3), pp.459-463. ⟨10.1140/epjd/e2008-00123-2⟩. ⟨hal-00573298⟩