First-principles calculations for attosecond electron dynamics in solids

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in first-principles computational methods for analyzing ultrafast, attosecond-scale electron dynamics in solids, enhancing understanding of light-induced phenomena and transient properties.

Contribution

It introduces new first-principles approaches tailored for attosecond experiments, enabling detailed microscopic analysis of nonequilibrium electron behavior in solids.

Findings

Accurate modeling of static and transient optical properties.

Development of microscopic decomposition techniques.

Enhanced understanding of light-induced electron dynamics.

Abstract

Nonequilibrium electron dynamics in solids is an important subject from both fundamental and technological points of view. The recent development of laser technology has enabled us to study ultrafast electron dynamics in the time domain. First-principles calculation is a powerful tool for analyzing such complex electron dynamics and clarifying the physics behind the experimental observation. In this article, we review the recent development of the first-principles calculation for light-induced electron dynamics in solids by revising its application to recent attosecond experiments. The electron dynamics calculations offer an accurate description of static and transient optical properties of solids and provide physics insight into light-induced electron dynamics. Furthermore, the microscopic decomposition of transient properties of nonequilibrium systems has been developed to extract microscopic information from the simulation results. The first-principles analysis opened a novel path to analyze the nonequilibrium electron dynamics in matter and to provide the fundamental understanding complementarily with the sophisticated experimental technique.