Dispersive optics is key element for femtosecond physics (Invited Paper)

Ever since invention of aperiodic optical multilayer structures have been driving the advancement of ultrafast laser technology towards ever broader bandwidth and ever shorter pulses. Deposition of dozens of dielectric layers with sub-nanometer accuracy permits manipulation of the spectral phase and amplitude of optical radiation over a full octave and beyond. We make overview on the progress on dispersive optics since their invention in 1994. Many years of development bring to the benefit that the attosecond physicists could study the electron dynamics in atoms and molecules. The non-linear effects in multilayer ultrafast coating shortly before damage threshold are overviewed as well. We describe ways how to use or post-pone these effects to higher fluences.