High Harmonic Generation
Perturbative Harmonic Generation is a process whereby laser light of frequency ω and photon energy ħω can be used to generate new frequencies of light. The newly generated frequencies are integer multiples nħω of the original light's frequency. This process was first discovered in 1961 by Franken et al., using a ruby laser, with crystalline quartz as the nonlinear medium.
Harmonic generation in dielectric solids is well understood and extensively used in modern laser physics (see second harmonic generation). In 1967 New et al. observed the first third harmonic generation in a gas. In monatomic gases it is only possible to produce odd numbered harmonics for reasons of symmetry. Harmonic generation in the perturbative (weak field) regime is characterised by rapidly decreasing efficiency with increasing harmonic order and harmonics up to the 11th order have been observed under these conditions . This behaviour can be understood by considering an atom absorbing n photons then emitting a single high energy photon. The probability of absorbing n photons decreases as n increases, explaining the rapid decrease in the initial harmonic intensities.
Read more about High Harmonic Generation: High Harmonic Generation (HHG), Properties of High Harmonics, Semi-classical Approach To Describe HHG
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