High-Harmonic Generation in the Water Window from mid-IR Laser Sources

TL;DR

This study explores high-harmonic generation in neon atoms using mid-IR lasers, comparing models to identify optimal parameters for water window imaging, and highlights the importance of multi-electron effects.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of SAE and RMT models for high-harmonic generation, emphasizing the significance of multi-electron effects and model sensitivities.

Findings

Qualitative agreement between SAE and RMT models.

Identification of suitable laser parameters for water window imaging.

Notable differences in predicted conversion efficiencies.

Abstract

We investigate the harmonic response of neon atoms to mid-IR laser fields (2000-3000nm) using a single-active electron (SAE) model and the fully ab initio all-electron R-Matrix with Time-dependence (RMT) method. The laser peak intensity and wavelength are varied to find suitable parameters for high-harmonic imaging in the water window. Comparison of the SAE and RMT results shows qualitative agreement between them as well as parameters such as the cutoff frequency predicted by the classical three-step model. However, there are significant differences in the details, particularly in the predicted conversion efficiency. These details indicate the possible importance of multi-electron effects, as well as a strong sensitivity of quantitative predictions on specific aspects of the numerical model.