Attosecond molecular spectroscopy and dynamics

The present review addresses the technical advances and the theoretical developments to realize and rationalize attosecond-science experiments that reveal a new dynamical time scale (10−15-10−18 s), with a particular emphasis on molecular systems and the implications of attosecond processes for chemical dynamics. After a brief outline of the theoretical framework for treating non-perturbative phenomena in Section 2, we introduce the physical mechanisms underlying high-harmonic generation and attosecond technology. The relevant technological developments and experimental schemes are covered in Section 3. Throughout the remainder of the chapter, we report on selected applications in molecular attosecond physics, thereby addressing specific phenomena mediated by purely electronic dynamics: charge localization in molecular hydrogen, charge migration in biorelevant molecules, high-harmonic spectroscopy, and delays in molecular photoionization.