Attosecond-magnetic-field-pulse generation by intense few-cycle circularly polarized UV laser pulses

Intense attosecond-magnetic-field pulses are predicted to be produced by intense few-cycle attosecond circularly polarized UV pulses. Numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for H-2(+) are used to study the electronic dynamical process. Spinning attosecond circular electron wave packets are created on subnanometer molecular dimensions, thus generating attosecond magnetic fields of several tens of Teslas (10(5) G). Simulations show that the induced magnetic field is critically dependent on the pulse wavelength lambda and pulse duration n tau (n is number of cycles) as predicted by a classical model. For ultrashort few-cycle circularly polarized attosecond pulses, molecular orientation influences the generation of the induced magnetic fields as a result of preferential ionization perpendicular to the molecular axis. The nonspherical asymmetry of molecules allows for efficient attosecond-magnetic-field-pulse generation.