Sub-cycle nanooptics in the strong-field limit

In this project, we propose to merge the precision of near-field microscopy with the latest possibilities of extremely nonlinear sub-cycle terahertz optics for the first time. Based on an unprecedented combination of a high-power multi-THz (1 THz = 10^12 Hz) source with an apertureless scattering-type near-field optical microscope (SNOM), we will design atomically strong, phase-locked, few-cycle electromagnetic transients localized in the few-nanometer near-field region of a metallic tip. The intense electromagnetic waveforms will be utilized to explore a novel realm of non-perturbative sub-cycle nanooptics.