Focalisation d'un laser femtoseconde dans l'air au sein d'"Attolab", au LOA

Focusing a femtosecond laser in air, at the Applied Optics Laboratory (LOA), in Palaiseau. The concentration of energy in time and in space results in the formation of a plasma; electrons are ripped out of atoms. This installation is part of the Attolab platform, devoted to interdisciplinary studies of ultrafast dynamics (electronic and nuclear dynamics at femtosecond and attosecond timescales) in gaseous, condensed and plasma phase systems. Attolab combines high-performance ultra-short light sources, comprising femtosecond infrared laser chains and attosecond secondary sources in the extreme-UV range. It calls upon advanced facilities, both for the development and operation of ultra-short pulse lasers and for the manufacture of optics.