High harmonic generation spectroscopy of hydrocarbons

We have demonstrated the ability of few-cycle midinfrared intense laser pulses to produce extended harmonic spectra (>= 45 eV) suitable for high harmonic spectroscopy in aligned hydrocarbons with ionization potentials in the range 9.07-11.52 eV. Modulations in the spectra measured with different alignment angles show signatures of the molecular structure. These results pave the way for the extension of high harmonic spectroscopy to complex biomolecules. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3526752]