Vectorial attosecond transient spectroscopy

Abstract Light-matter interactions reflect the symmetry properties of the medium, imprinting both dynamical and structural information onto the vectorial properties of the interacting field. In the non-linear regime, such symmetry can undergo dramatic modifications during a single optical cycle. In this paper, we combine vectorial metrology with attosecond interferometry and introduce vectorial attosecond transient spectroscopy. Interferometry enables the heterodyne detection of subtle polarization perturbations while simultaneously capturing phase information. This scheme resolves the time-dependent polarization state of attosecond pulses transmitted through a field-driven target and follows the dynamical symmetry of the quantum system with unprecedented temporal resolution. Vectorial attosecond transient spectroscopy offers a powerful approach to revealing the two-dimensional dynamics of quantum wavefunctions in complex systems.