Attosecond vortices in semiconductor materials

TL;DR

This paper theoretically demonstrates the generation of attosecond vortex beams in semiconductors via high-order harmonic generation driven by Laguerre-Gauss beams, revealing new microscopic mechanisms and potential for short-wavelength applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel microscopic mechanism for high-order harmonic generation in semiconductors, combining advanced models to predict attosecond vortex beam production.

Findings

Harmonics in the plateau region contribute to attosecond vortex beams

The use of dephasing time and thin slab models enhances understanding of HHG

Implications for efficient short-wavelength vortex beam generation

Abstract

We present the first theoretical results on the generation of short-wavelength attosecond vortex beams in semiconductors through their interactions with an intense Laguerre-Gauss beam, in the limit where non-perturbative high-order harmonics are generated. We exploit the details of the novel microscopic mechanism for high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in condensed matter, such as the use of dephasing time included in semiconductor Bloch equations (SBE), the combination of the SBE model with the thin slab model, and the use of experimentally verified scaling laws for various harmonic orders. For our test, we use a zinc oxide crystal as our standard sample, and our vortex beam is characterized by a topological charge of $l=1$. Our time-domain analysis shows that harmonics within the plateau region specifically contribute to the generation of the attosecond vortex beam. Our findings have implications for advancing the understanding of solid-state HHG and leveraging its strengths, such as the use of thin and dense media, for the efficient generation of short-wavelength attosecond vortex beams.