Controlling the photoelectric effect in real-time

The discovery of the photoelectric effect led to important steps in understanding the quantum nature of light, electrons and matter. This effect, which results in the emission of an electron, has been tacitly regarded as instantaneous until attosecond (10^-18s) light sources enabled measuring real-time dynamics. Very recently, we have demonstrated the possibility to manipulate the dynamics of electron emission by performing temporal slit experiments using a few attosecond pulses, opening a new road in attosecond science, namely, the manipulation of the fastest processes in nature.
The purpose of this project is to control the real-time dynamics of the photoelectric effect and to promote the development of a new generation of applications using it. The specific aim of this proposal is to perform
kinematically complete time-slit experiments in small quantum systems. The project will thus examine the photoemission of
* one electron, and improve our control of photoemission in time-slit experiments,
* two electrons, and investigate an entangled electron pair produced upon double photoionization or Auger decay.
The project will combine cutting-edge instrumentations, by bringing together highly recognized-experts from Lund University in kinematically complete experiments and ultrashort attosecond light sources, to address very
fundamental questions of quantum mechanics.