title: Frequency-tunable multigigawatt sub-half-cycle light pulses from coupled-state dynamics of optical solitons and impulsively driven molecular vibrations.
abstract: Coupling ultrashort optical field waveforms to ultrafast molecular vibrations in an impulsively excited Raman medium is shown to enable the generation of frequency-tunable sub-half-cycle multigigawatt light pulses. In a gas-filled hollow waveguide, this coupled-state dynamics is strongly assisted by soliton effects, which help to suppress temporal stretching of subcycle optical pulses, providing efficient Raman-type impulsive excitation of ultrafast molecular vibrations over large propagation paths.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, International Laser Center, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorob'evy gory, Moscow 119992, Russia.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zheltikov
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Voronin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kienberger
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krausz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korn