Full tunability of laser femtosecond high-order harmonics in the ultraviolet spectral range

We demonstrate experimentally the full tunability of a coherent femtosecond source in the whole ultraviolet spectral region. The experiment relies on the technique of high-order harmonic generation driven by a near-infrared parametric laser source in krypton gas. By tuning the drive wavelength in the range between 1100 to 1900 nm, we generated intense harmonics from near to extreme ultraviolet. A number of photons per shot of the order of 10(7) has been measured for the first harmonic orders. Many novel scientific prospects are expected to benefit from the use of such a table-top tunable source.