X-ray Wave-mixing Spectroscopies (X-WaveS)

The key to advance towards new materials with extraordinary properties lies in understanding their transport properties at the nano-ultrafast scales. Being able to measure charge, spin, lattice and thermal transport properties of matter at these scales is of paramount importance in understanding the mechanisms governing their physics and to design and realize novel energy-efficient functional nanomaterials with desired properties such as nano-thermal devices, high-temperature superconductors, ultrafast magnetic switches, photo-to-electro catalysis, organic nanosystems for light harvesting, ultrafast non-volatile memory storage, etc.

Nonlinear optical domain techniques represent a major advance in physics and bio-chemistry: the nonlinear response of a sample under the influence of multiple laser beams allows to measure fundamental properties such as electronic response, propagation of wave-packets, electron-phonon coupling, phonons, magnetic properties, etc.. Extension of such methodologies in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray range would allow to study surface and bulk properties reaching unprecedented (sub)-nanometer spatial resolution with (sub)-femtosecond time resolution and element/orbital specificity.

The research line of X-WaveS (X-ray Wave-mixing Spectroscopy) group is the development of EUV and X-ray wave-mixing methodologies at Free Electron Lasers (FELs) and High Harmonic Generation (HHG) table-top sources and their application to condensed matter systems with particular emphasis on novel nano-technologies employing 2D materials, quantum materials, nano-magnetic systems, semiconductors and materials for light harvesting and efficient energy storage and conversion.
Complementary investigation with optical tools such as table-top Four Wave Mixing techniques (Transient Grating - TG, Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering - CARS, etc.) is also part of the X-WaveS’ activities for which dedicated setups will be built and implemented.