Orientation-Dependent High-Order Harmonic Generation from Monolayer ZnO

Solid-state high-order harmonic generation (HHG) now is a strong tool for detecting target properties, like band structure, Berry curvature and transition dipole moments (TDMs). However, the physical mechanism of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in solids has not been fully elucidated. According to previously published works, in addition to the inter-band polarization, intra-band currents, and anomalous currents due to Berry curvature, there is another term which will be called the mixture term (MT). Taking monolayer ZnO as a sample, it is found that the intensity of the mixture term, which has been ignored for a long time in previous works, actually is comparable with other terms. Additionally, we compare the orientation-dependent HHG spectra that originated from different mechanisms. It is found that the inter-band and mixture HHG show similar orientation features. Meanwhile, Berry curvature only produces perpendicularly polarized even harmonics, and intra-band perpendicularly polarized even harmonics show special orientation features which can be explained by the orientation-dependent group velocity. This work will help people understand the mechanisms of solid-HHG better.

Automated summary

Solid-state high-order harmonic generation (HHG) is a powerful tool for detecting target properties, but the physical mechanism of HHG in solids is not fully understood. This study reveals the existence of a previously ignored mixture term in solid HHG and compares the orientation-dependent HHG spectra from different mechanisms. The results show similar orientation features for inter-band and mixture HHG, while Berry curvature only produces perpendicularly polarized even harmonics and intra-band perpendicularly polarized even harmonics display special orientation features explained by the orientation-dependent group velocity.