The Group

The Attosecond Physics Group at ETH Zurich was founded in August 2024 and arose from earlier activities of the Ultrafast Laser Physics Group. In our research, we study light-matter interactions on shortest timescales down to attoseconds (10^-18 s). We're interested in the dynamical processes that unfold in the first moment after a material has absorbed a photon. What degrees of freedom does the light interact with and how does the deposited energy eventually flow to other parts of the system? 

For our experiments, we use ultrashort laser pulses. With high-order harmonic generation, we can convert these pulses into the extreme ultraviolet and shorten them to attosecond durations. We learn about the dynamical processes occurring in a material by observing the changes in optical properties of our sample that are brought about by these processes.

These experiments take place on the Attoline setup that was originally conceived in the Ultrafast Laser Physics Group and is now part of the shared FastLab ultrafast laser platform of the Department of Physics. We obtain theoretical support for our studies through collaborations with leading theory groups worldwide.

On our webpage you can also find a list of current group members or more details on our research. If you are interested in joining our group as a postdoc or doctoral student or writing a master's or semester thesis with us, take a look at our job advertisements.