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