Subfemtosecond X-ray Pulses Produced Directly by High Harmonic Generation

The generation of subfemtosecond pulses in hydrogen-like atoms through high-harmonic generation by using superintense multicycle driver pulses is numerically investigated. It is shown that a single subfemtosecond pulse can be directly generated when the driver pulse is strong enough to deplete the neutral atoms within several optical cycles. The propagation effect is neglected during the numerical examinations.