Time-frequency analysis of high harmonic generation using a probe XUV pulse

Interpretation of strong-field phenomena is mostly based on the analysis of classical electron trajectories in an intense laser field, whose specific properties determine general features of nonlinear laser-matter interaction. Currently, the visualization of closed electron trajectories contributing to high harmonic generation (HHG) of the laser field is the prerogative of a theoretical analysis based on the time-frequency spectrogram of the induced dipole acceleration. Here, we propose a method for direct reconstruction of the HHG time-frequency spectrogram using a time-delayed probe XUV pulse. Our analytical theory and ab initio numerical simulations demonstrate that the XUV-assisted HHG yield as a function of time delay and harmonic energy mimics the short-time Fourier transform of the dipole acceleration induced by the laser field, thereby providing possible in-situ experimental access for tracing electron dynamics in strong-field phenomena. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement