Ultrafast collectivity in finite systems

Jan-Michael Rost

Max Planck Institute Dresden, Germany

We investigate collective electron dynamics in small rare gas clusters initiated by an attosecond intense laser pulse. It is shown that an electron-plasma forms quickly which is strongly coupled due to its high density. Oscillations in the electron response, characteristic for the dynamics of a non-equilibrium strongly coupled plasma are the signature of this plasma formation. It can be verified experimentally by a second attosecond probe pulse. Time permitting we will compare this ultrafast non-equilibrium dynamics with a similar phenomenon in ultracold plasmas, however on a time scale which is slower by almost 10 orders of magnitude.