Control of higher spectral components by spatially inhomogeneous fields in quantum wells

Chaojin Zhang, Chengpu Liu, and Zhizhan Xu
Phys. Rev. A 88, 035805 – Published 6 September 2013

Abstract

The propagation of a spatially inhomogeneous few-cycle laser field, linked to surface plasmon polaritons, through an ensemble of quantum wells is investigated under two conditions. It is found that the transmitted spectra sensitively depend on the spatial inhomogeneity due to the nonlinear propagation effects. Under the small-frequency mismatch condition, the transmitted spectral distribution is continuous for the spatially homogeneous case. However, when spatial inhomogeneity is introduced, the distribution is discrete instead, with clearly even- and odd-order harmonic peaks coexisting, which is related to the strong-field reshaping effect and the inversion symmetry breaking due to the introduction of the spatially inhomogeneous field. As for the large-frequency mismatch condition, only odd-order harmonics exist, no matter how strong the spatial inhomogeneity is. Under both conditions, the propagation effect can obviously enhance the intensity of higher spectral components.

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  • Received 22 April 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.88.035805

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Chaojin Zhang1,2, Chengpu Liu2,*, and Zhizhan Xu2

  • 1School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
  • 2State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China

  • *chpliu@siom.ac.cn

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Vol. 88, Iss. 3 — September 2013

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