Attosecond Laser Facility

Attosecond laser science is of an interdisciplinary nature; it encompasses the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and medicine, and supports research into the physical properties of optical functional materials; such as photo catalysts and solar cells, the development of new materials, and living organism observation methodologies; including medical diagnostic techniques.

By actively applying this observational form of technology into new scientific developments, we will contribute not only to the advancement of frontier knowledge in the material and life sciences, but also to the development of new engineering and measurement equipment.

Chemical reaction tracking, control and imaging

Atomic time-resolved measurements on molecules will provide insight into the mechanisms of electron wave flux development and the interactions between electrons within multiple electron systems. Ultimate chemical response tracking and control technology will become attainable through observing the chemical reactions induced by highly controlled electron wave bundles using real-time attosecond time resolution molecular imaging methods.

Material development and ultrafast electronics technology development

Attosecond science provides insight into the delocalization process of electron clouds in molecular solids and the early processes in the occurrence of electron transfer at interfaces. On the basis of these time domain findings, new design guidelines for developing organic devices, high performance catalysts, solar cells and the like, will become obtainable. In addition, clarification on the time development of plasmon-enhanced electric fields induced by electron motion in metal nanostructures will be provided, and a nano-sized ultrafast electronic device can be developed. Furthermore, by establishing a light wave synthesis technique with attosecond accuracy, it is expected that the development of ultrafast electronics technology with petahertz-frequency shaped electric fields will be achievable.

Biology, drug discovery and medical application

In the field of biological imaging with soft X-ray diffraction microscopy, attosecond light pulses can be used to accomplish high spatial resolution. In addition, through the use of quantum emission processes with high-intensity ultrashort pulse lasers, table-top electron/ ion accelerators and pulsed X-ray sources will be established, leading to the development of time-resolved spectroscopy devices and time-resolved imaging devices, which will be widely used for research and development in the field of drug discovery and medical care.