This article is cited in 4 papers

OPTICS AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS

Dynamic population difference gratings and microcavities induced by extremely short pulses: recent advances and future prospects (brief review)

R. M. Arkhipov^a, O. O. Diachkova^ab, M. V. Arkhipov^a, A. V. Pakhomov^b, N. N. Rosanov<sup>a

a</sup> Ioffe Institute, 194021, St. Petersburg, Russia
^b St. Petersburg State University, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

Abstract: This review highlights recent advances in the creation of atomic population gratings using multi-cycle and extremely short light pulses in a medium. The application of these structures in transient grating spectroscopy is discussed. Special attention is given to the formation of high-quality dynamic microcavities, a novel type of structure recently predicted by the authors, which arises from collisions of extremely short half-cycle pulses within a medium. The results demonstrate the potential for attosecond optical switching of matter states at petahertz frequencies, operating within extreme time scales of half a field oscillation cycle. These findings pave the way for groundbreaking applications in modern ultrafast optics, including petahertz-scale signal processing, attosecond coherent control, and the development of next-generation optical technologies operating at the fundamental limits of speed and precision.

Received: 24.02.2025
Revised: 24.02.2025
Accepted: 27.02.2025

DOI: 10.31857/S0370274X25040049

 English version: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters, 2025, 121:7, 520–535