Petahertz optoelectronics via attosecond control of solids

Fast evolving technologies require faster data processing. Modern electronics possess physical limits for computation speed. To circumvent these limits new scientific approaches are required. Light is the fastest information carrier, therefore optoelectronic light-matter interaction can be potentially employed as a method towards much faster computation. In order to exploit light-matter interactions in the attosecond temporal and petahertz spectral domains, three main conditions should be fulfilled: a) techniques capable of detecting such fast processes must be available, b) physical mechanisms with an attosecond response time should be found and characterized, c) the methodology for storing and controlling of the information by means of these fast processes should be developed. This dissertation addresses these conditions and demonstrates the applicability of optoelectronics towards attosecond and petahertz domains.

Thesis