Grant: Canada Excellence Research Chairs

Objectives: Ultrashort X-ray pulses used to monitor ultrafast electron motion in materials can be generated by kilometer-size, billion-dollar scale X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL) in national facilities with very limited user accessibility. The CERC program proposed by Dr. Zenghu Chang is centered on establishing, in Canada, the world’s first XFEL-like table-top attosecond (an attosecond is one quintillionth of a second) X-ray source spanning soft and tender spectral range. This research will allow every atom on the periodic table to be differentiated by attosecond X-ray spectroscopy for the first time in university laboratories. Research approach: The proposed next-generation table-top attosecond X-ray photon source will be developed at the University of Ottawa, in the new Attosecond X-ray Photonics Laboratory. It will provide unprecedented spectral bandwidth by irradiating noble gas atoms such as helium and neon with high-power mid-wave infrared (MWIR) lasers, which are not commercially available. The MWIR laser will be developed based on converting short wavelength light into long wavelength radiation in nonlinear optical crystals. It will be the most powerful, wavelength tunable MWIR laser in the world. An attosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy set-up will be established, which allows the flow of a charged particle from one element to another to be traced with atomic-scale resolution. The research will be carried out by Dr. Zenghu Chang, 10 core team members and a diverse group of students, postdoctoral fellows and scientists in order to build a critical mass of expertise in Canada. Novelty and expected significance: Visible lasers have been the major tools for time-resolving motion of charged particles, but cannot locate them precisely in time and space. The proposed attosecond X-ray spectroscopy system represents a transformational advance toward probing and controlling some of the fastest processes underlying solar cells and quantum materials, at the foundations of physical chemistry. This unique platform will train students and postdoctoral fellows for future positions in academia, industry and government. The critical know-how will be transferred to Canadian laser companies through incorporation of discoveries into a new generation of lasers, X-ray sources, solar cells, and quantum materials. Through partnerships with industry, academia and government, we are positioning Canada to advance the next big wave of photonics research and innovation.