Isolated attosecond pulses: generation and application to molecular science

We review recent advances in the generation of isolated attosecond pulses, produced by using the process of high-order harmonic generation in gases. In particular we report on a novel technique, based on the production of a temporal gate obtained exploiting sub-cycle ionization dynamics of the neutral atom population. Isolated attosecond pulses with time duration of 155 as and an energy on target of 2.1 nJ were generated and fully characterized. Such isolated pulses can be used in attosecond pump-probe experiments to study ultra-fast electronic dynamics in atoms and molecules with attosecond temporal resolution.