Extreme midinfrared nonlinear optics in semiconductors

We have observed extreme nonlinear optical phenomena produced by intense midinfrared (MIR) pulses in semiconductors. These phenomena include multiple off-resonance optical sidehands (up to +/-3 MIR photons interacting with a near-infrared photon), multiple MIR harmonics (up to the seventh harmonic), and significant broadening and modification of MIR harmonic spectra. The generation of these extreme MIR nonlinear optical phenomena is primarily aided by cross-phase modulation.