High-order harmonic generation in solids: A unifying approach

There have been several experimental reports showing high-order harmonic generation from solids, but there has been no unifying theory presented as of yet for all these experiments. Here we report on the systematic investigation of high-order harmonic generation within the semiconductor Bloch equations, taking into account multiple bands and relaxation processes phenomenologically. In addition to reproducing key experiments, we show the following: (i) Electronic excitations, direct-indirect excitation pathways, and relaxation processes are responsible for high-order harmonic generation and control using midinfrared drivers in zinc oxide. We describe an intuitive picture explaining a two-color experiment involving noninversion symmetric crystals. (ii) High-order harmonic generation can be considered as a general feature of ultrafast strong-field-driven electronic dynamics in solids. We demonstrate this statement by predicting high-order harmonic spectra of solids that have not been studied yet.