The saddle-point exciton signature on high harmonic generation in 2D hexagonal nanostructures

TL;DR

This paper investigates how excitonic effects influence high harmonic generation in 2D hexagonal nanostructures like graphene, revealing spectral caustics near saddle point resonances due to electron-hole interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical approach using Bloch equations in the Houston basis to analyze many-body Coulomb interactions in high harmonic generation of 2D nanostructures.

Findings

Excitonic effects significantly modify HHG spectra.

Spectral caustics are induced near saddle point excitonic resonances.

Electron-hole nonlinear dynamics are crucial in HHG processes.

Abstract

The disclosure of basic nonlinear optical properties of graphene-like nanostructures with correlated electron-hole nonlinear dynamics over a wide range of frequencies and pump field intensities is of great importance for both graphene fundamental physics and for expected novel applications of 2D hexagonal nanostructures in extreme nonlinear optics. In the current paper, the nonlinear interaction of 2D hexagonal nanostructures with the bichromatic infrared driving field taking into account many-body Coulomb interaction is investigated. Numerical investigation in the scope of the Bloch equations within the Houston basis that take into account $e-e$ and $e-h$ interactions in the Hartree-Fock approximation reveals significant excitonic effects in the high harmonic generation process in 2D hexagonal nanostructures such as graphene and silicene. It is shown that due to the correlated electron-hole nonlinear dynamics around the van Hove singularity, spectral caustics in the high harmonic generation spectrum are induced near the saddle point excitonic resonances.