Time-resolved electron spectroscopy of atomic inner-shell dynamics

The extremely fast evolution of core-hole relaxation was not yet observable directly in the time-domain. A novel technique combining core-hole creation with attosecond extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses and electron wave-packet sampling with a pulsed laser-field provides the necessary experimental tools. As a benchmark, the exponential decay of 3d holes in atomic krypton was tracked yielding a decay constant of 8 fs. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.