A method for attosecond pulse measurement

Summary form only given. There exist a number of proposals for the generation of attosecond pulse trains or single attosecond pulses. Unfortunately, measurement of the duration of these pulses has not been possible to date. Currently used techniques are either limited by the pulse duration of the laser pulse, as in multiphoton cross correlation measurements, or by insufficient cross section, as in two photon absorption measurements. We present a novel technique for the measurement of attosecond pulses based on cross correlation between a strong laser pulse and an attosecond pulse in a noble gas. The method fundamentally differs from previously performed multiphoton cross correlation measurements, the resolution of which is limited by the laser pulse duration. In contrast, the resolution limit of our method lies at about one tenth of the optical period of the laser pulse. We investigate the method by numerically solving the 3-dimensional Schrodinger equation for a He/sup +/ ion.