Mina R Bionta

All Publications

• Tracking ultrafast solid-state dynamics using high harmonic spectroscopy PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH Bionta, M. R., Haddad, E., Leblanc, A., Gruson, V., Lassonde, P., Ibrahim, H., Chaillou, J., Emond, N., Otto, M. R., Jimenez-Galan, A., Silva, R. F., Ivanov, M., Siwick, B. J., Chaker, M., Legare, F. 2021; 3 (2)

  View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023250

  View details for Web of Science ID 000668159000004

• On-chip sampling of optical fields with attosecond resolution NATURE PHOTONICS Bionta, M. R., Ritzkowsky, F., Turchetti, M., Yang, Y., Cattozzo Mor, D., Putnam, W. P., Kaertner, F. X., Berggren, K. K., Keathley, P. D. 2021; 15 (6): 456-460

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41566-021-00792-0

  View details for Web of Science ID 000640454200001

• Wavelength and shape dependent strong-field photoemission from silver nanotips NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS Bionta, M. R., Weber, S. J., Blum, I., Mauchain, J., Chatel, B., Chalopin, B. 2016; 18

  View details for DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/18/10/103010

  View details for Web of Science ID 000386047000004

• Spectral encoding method for measuring the relative arrival time between x-ray/optical pulses REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS Bionta, M. R., Hartmann, N., Weaver, M., French, D., Nicholson, D. J., Cryan, J. P., Glownia, J. M., Baker, K., Bostedt, C., Chollet, M., Ding, Y., Fritz, D. M., Fry, A. R., Kane, D. J., Krzywinski, J., Lemke, H. T., Messerschmidt, M., Schorb, S., Zhu, D., White, W. E., Coffee, R. N. 2014; 85 (8)

  Abstract

  The advent of few femtosecond x-ray light sources brings promise of x-ray/optical pump-probe experiments that can measure chemical and structural changes in the 10-100 fs time regime. Widely distributed timing systems used at x-ray Free-Electron Laser facilities are typically limited to above 50 fs fwhm jitter in active x-ray/optical synchronization. The approach of single-shot timing measurements is used to sort results in the event processing stage. This has seen wide use to accommodate the insufficient precision of active stabilization schemes. In this article, we review the current technique for "measure-and-sort" at the Linac Coherent Light Source at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The relative arrival time between an x-ray pulse and an optical pulse is measured near the experimental interaction region as a spectrally encoded cross-correlation signal. The cross-correlation provides a time-stamp for filter-and-sort algorithms used for real-time sorting. Sub-10 fs rms resolution is common in this technique, placing timing precision at the same scale as the duration of the shortest achievable x-ray pulses.

  View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4893657

  View details for Web of Science ID 000342913500017

  View details for PubMedID 25173255

• Achieving few-femtosecond time-sorting at hard X-ray free-electron lasers NATURE PHOTONICS Harmand, M., Coffee, R., Bionta, M. R., Chollet, M., French, D., Zhu, D., Fritz, D. M., Lemke, H. T., Medvedev, N., Ziaja, B., Toleikis, S., Cammarata, M. 2013; 7 (3): 215-218

  View details for DOI 10.1038/NPHOTON.2013.11

  View details for Web of Science ID 000316154700015

• Spectral encoding of x-ray/optical relative delay OPTICS EXPRESS Bionta, M. R., Lemke, H. T., Cryan, J. P., Glownia, J. M., Bostedt, C., Cammarata, M., Castagna, J., Ding, Y., Fritz, D. M., Fry, A. R., Krzywinski, J., Messerschmidt, M., Schorb, S., Swiggers, M. L., Coffee, R. N. 2011; 19 (22): 21855-21865

  Abstract

  We present a new technique for measuring the relative delay between a soft x-ray FEL pulse and an optical laser that indicates a sub 25 fs RMS measurement error. An ultra-short x-ray pulse photo-ionizes a semiconductor (Si(3)N(4)) membrane and changes the optical transmission. An optical continuum pulse with a temporally chirped bandwidth spanning 630 nm-710 nm interacts with the membrane such that the timing of the x-ray pulse can be determined from the onset of the spectral modulation of the transmitted optical pulse. This experiment demonstrates a nearly in situ single-shot measurement of the x-ray pulse arrival time relative to the ultra-short optical pulse.

  View details for Web of Science ID 000296568100076

  View details for PubMedID 22109037

• Uncovering extreme nonlinear dynamics in solids through time-domain field analysis PHYSICAL REVIEW B Keathley, P. D., Jensen, S. B., Yeung, M., Bionta, M. R., Madsen, L. B. 2023; 107 (5)

  View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.054302

  View details for Web of Science ID 000963721500002

• Electron Emission Regimes of Planar Nano Vacuum Emitters IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRON DEVICES Turchetti, M., Yang, Y., Bionta, M., Nardi, A., Daniel, L., Berggren, K. K., Keathley, P. D. 2022; 69 (7): 3953-3959

  View details for DOI 10.1109/TED.2022.3175706

  View details for Web of Science ID 000800785300001

• Impact of DC bias on weak optical-field-driven electron emission in nano-vacuum-gap detectors JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA B-OPTICAL PHYSICS Turchetti, M., Bionta, M. R., Yang, Y., Ritzkowsky, F., Candido, D. R., Flatte, M. E., Berggren, K. K., Keathley, P. D. 2021; 38 (3): 1009-1016

  View details for DOI 10.1364/JOSAB.413680

  View details for Web of Science ID 000624918600043

• Single-Photon Single-Flux Coupled Detectors NANO LETTERS Onen, M., Turchetti, M., Butters, B. A., Bionta, M. R., Keathley, P. D., Berggren, K. K. 2020; 20 (1): 664-668

  Abstract

  In this work, we present a novel device that is a combination of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector and a superconducting multilevel memory. We show that these devices can be used to count the number of detections through single-photon to single-flux conversion. Electrical characterization of the memory properties demonstrates single-flux quantum (SFQ) separated states. Optical measurements using attenuated laser pulses with different mean photon number, pulse energies and repetition rates are shown to differentiate single-photon detection from other possible phenomena, such as multiphoton detection and thermal activation. Finally, different geometries and material stacks to improve device performance, as well as arraying methods, are discussed.

  View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b04440

  View details for Web of Science ID 000507151600086

  View details for PubMedID 31851520

• Temporal characterization of femtosecond laser pulses using tunneling ionization in the UV, visible, and mid-IR ranges SCIENTIFIC REPORTS Cho, W., Hwang, S., Nam, C., Bionta, M. R., Lassonde, P., Schmidt, B. E., Ibrahim, H., Legare, F., Kim, K. 2019; 9: 16067

  Abstract

  To generalize the applicability of the temporal characterization technique called "tunneling ionization with a perturbation for the time-domain observation of an electric field" (TIPTOE), the technique is examined in the multicycle regime over a broad wavelength range, from the UV to the IR range. The technique is rigorously analyzed first by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Then, experimental verification is demonstrated over an almost 5-octave wavelength range at 266, 1800, 4000 and 8000 nm by utilizing the same nonlinear medium - air. The experimentally obtained dispersion values of the materials used for the dispersion control show very good agreement with the ones calculated using the material dispersion data and the pulse duration results obtained for 1800 and 4000 nm agree well with the frequency-resolved optical gating measurements. The universality of TIPTOE arises from its phase-matching-free nature and its unprecedented broadband operation range.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-52237-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000494258500087

  View details for PubMedID 31690731

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6831698

• Phase-matching-free pulse retrieval based on transient absorption in solids OPTICS EXPRESS Leblanc, A., Lassonde, P., Petit, S., Delagnes, J., Haddad, E., Ernotte, G., Bionta, M. R., Gruson, V., Schmidt, B. E., Ibrahim, H., Cormier, E., Legare, F. 2019; 27 (20): 28998-29015

  Abstract

  In this paper, we introduce a pulse characterization technique that is free of phase-matching constraints, exploiting transient absorption in solids as an ultrafast optical switch. Based on a pump-probe setup, this technique uses pump pulses of sufficient intensity to induce the switch, while the pulses to characterize are probing the transmissivity drop of the photoexcited material. This enables the characterization of low-intensity ultra-broadband pulses at the detection limit of the spectrometer and within the transparency range of the solid. For example, by using zinc selenide (ZnSe), pulses with wavelengths from 0.5 to 20 μm can be characterized, denoting five octaves of spectral range. Using ptychography, we retrieve the temporal profiles of both the probe pulse and the switch. To demonstrate this approach, we measure ultrashort pulses from a titanium-sapphire (Ti-Sa) amplifier, which are compressed using a hollow core fiber setup, as well as infrared to mid-infrared pulses generated from an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The characterized pulses are centered at wavelengths of 0.77, 1.53, 1.75, 4, and 10 μm, down to sub-two optical cycles duration, exceeding an octave of bandwidth, and with energy as low as a few nanojoules.

  View details for DOI 10.1364/OE.27.028998

  View details for Web of Science ID 000488282800152

  View details for PubMedID 31684642

• Laser wakefield acceleration with high-power, few-cycle mid-IR lasers Papp, D., Wood, J. C., Gruson, V., Bionta, M., Gruse, J., Cormier, E., Najmudin, Z., Legare, F., Kamperidis, C. ELSEVIER. 2018: 145-148

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.nima.2018.01.050

  View details for Web of Science ID 000451748000031

• Probing the phase transition in VO₂ using few-cycle 1.8 μm pulses PHYSICAL REVIEW B Bionta, M. R., Wanie, V., Gruson, V., Chaillou, J., Emond, N., Lepage, D., Lassonde, P., Chaker, M., Legare, F. 2018; 97 (12)

  View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.97.125126

  View details for Web of Science ID 000427638900002

• 2.5 TW, two-cycle IR laser pulses via frequency domain optical parametric amplification OPTICS EXPRESS Gruson, V., Ernotte, G., Lassonde, P., Laramee, A., Bionta, M. R., Chaker, M., Di Mauro, L., Corkum, P. B., Ibrahim, H., Schmidt, B. E., Legare, F. 2017; 25 (22): 27706-27714

  Abstract

  Broadband optical parametric amplification in the IR region has reached a new milestone through the use of a non-collinear Frequency domain Optical Parametric Amplification system. We report a laser source delivering 11.6 fs pulses with 30 mJ of energy at a central wavelength of 1.8 μm at 10 Hz repetition rate corresponding to a peak power of 2.5 TW. The peak power scaling is accompanied by a pulse shortening of about 20% upon amplification due to the spectral reshaping with higher gain in the spectral wings. This source paves the way for high flux soft X-ray pulses and IR-driven laser wakefield acceleration.

  View details for DOI 10.1364/OE.25.027706

  View details for Web of Science ID 000413995000113

  View details for PubMedID 29092241

• First results on laser-induced field emission from a CNT-based nanotip Bionta, M. R., Chalopin, B., Masseboeuf, A., Chatel, B. ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. 2015: 152-155

  Abstract

  We present the first demonstration of ultrafast laser-induced field emission and measurement of the energy distribution of electrons from a nanotip based on a carbon nanotube (CNT). Our experimental setup extends the studies performed on conventional tungsten or gold tips by using this new innovative tip. The carbon tip consists of concentric carbon layers in the shape of a cone, and has been previously studied as a very good candidate for cold field emission. The first laser-induced field emission from a CNT-based nanotip has been observed and we measured the energy spectrum as well as the polarization dependance of the emission. We also characterize the damage threshold of the tip, when illuminated by a high repetition rate femtosecond laser. These first results are encouraging further studies of electron emission from CNT-based carbon nanotips.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ultramic.2014.11.027

  View details for Web of Science ID 000366220100005

  View details for PubMedID 25498140

• Sub-femtosecond precision measurement of relative X-ray arrival time for free-electron lasers NATURE PHOTONICS Hartmann, N., Helml, W., Galler, A., Bionta, M. R., Gruenert, J., Molodtsov, S. L., Ferguson, K. R., Schorb, S., Swiggers, M. L., Carron, S., Bostedt, C., Castagna, J., Bozek, J., Glownia, J. M., Kane, D. J., Fry, A. R., White, W. E., Hauri, C. P., Feurer, T., Coffee, R. N. 2014; 8 (9): 706-709

  View details for DOI 10.1038/NPHOTON.2014.164

  View details for Web of Science ID 000342600100013

• Laser-induced electron emission from a tungsten nanotip: identifying above threshold photoemission using energy-resolved laser power dependencies JOURNAL OF MODERN OPTICS Bionta, M. R., Chalopin, B., Champeaux, J. P., Faure, S., Masseboeuf, A., Moretto-Capelle, P., Chatel, B. 2014; 61 (10): 833-838

  View details for DOI 10.1080/09500340.2013.846432

  View details for Web of Science ID 000338932200007

• Nanoscale spin reversal by non-local angular momentum transfer following ultrafast laser excitation in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo NATURE MATERIALS Graves, C. E., Reid, A. H., Wang, T., Wu, B., de Jong, S., Vahaplar, K., Radu, I., Bernstein, D. P., Messerschmidt, M., Mueller, L., Coffee, R., Bionta, M., Epp, S. W., Hartmann, R., Kimmel, N., Hauser, G., Hartmann, A., Holl, P., Gorke, H., Mentink, J. H., Tsukamoto, A., Fognini, A., Turner, J. J., Schlotter, W. F., Rolles, D., Soltau, H., Strueder, L., Acremann, Y., Kimel, A. V., Kirilyuk, A., Rasing, T., Stoehr, J., Scherz, A. O., Duerr, H. A. 2013; 12 (4): 293-298

  Abstract

  Ultrafast laser techniques have revealed extraordinary spin dynamics in magnetic materials that equilibrium descriptions of magnetism cannot explain. Particularly important for future applications is understanding non-equilibrium spin dynamics following laser excitation on the nanoscale, yet the limited spatial resolution of optical laser techniques has impeded such nanoscale studies. Here we present ultrafast diffraction experiments with an X-ray laser that probes the nanoscale spin dynamics following optical laser excitation in the ferrimagnetic alloy GdFeCo, which exhibits macroscopic all-optical switching. Our study reveals that GdFeCo displays nanoscale chemical and magnetic inhomogeneities that affect the spin dynamics. In particular, we observe Gd spin reversal in Gd-rich nanoregions within the first picosecond driven by the non-local transfer of angular momentum from larger adjacent Fe-rich nanoregions. These results suggest that a magnetic material's microstructure can be engineered to control transient laser-excited spins, potentially allowing faster (~ 1 ps) spin reversal than in present technologies.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/NMAT3597

  View details for Web of Science ID 000317164900015

• X-ray-optical cross-correlator for gas-phase experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron laser APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS Schorb, S., Gorkhover, T., Cryan, J. P., Glownia, J. M., Bionta, M. R., Coffee, R. N., Erk, B., Boll, R., Schmidt, C., Rolles, D., Rudenko, A., Rouzee, A., Swiggers, M., Carron, S., Castagna, J., Bozek, J. D., Messerschmidt, M., Schlotter, W. F., Bostedt, C. 2012; 100 (12)

  View details for DOI 10.1063/1.3695163

  View details for Web of Science ID 000302228700007