Strong-Field Perspective on High-Harmonic Radiation from Bulk Solids

Mechanisms of high-harmonic generation from crystals are described by treating the electric field of a laser as a quasi-static strong field. Under the quasi-static electric field, electrons in periodic potentials form dressed states, known as Wannier-Stark states. The energy differences between the dressed states determine the frequencies of the radiation. The radiation yield is determined by the magnitudes of the inter-band and intra-band current matrix elements between the dressed states. The generation of attosecond pulses from solids is predicted. Ramifications for strong-field physics are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Giant Surface Plasmon Induced Drag Effect (SPIDEr) in Metal Nanowires

Here, for the first time we predict a giant surface plasmon-induced drag effect (SPIDEr), which exists under conditions of the extreme nanoplasmonic confinement. Under realistic conditions, in nanowires, this giant SPIDEr generates rectified THz potential differences up to 10 V and extremely strong electric fields up to 10^5-10^6 V/cm. The SPIDEr is an ultrafast effect whose bandwidth for nanometric wires is 20 THz. The giant SPIDEr opens up a new field of ultraintense THz nanooptics with wide potential applications in nanotechnology and nanoscience, including microelectronics,nanoplasmonics, and biomedicine.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Spaser Action, Loss Compensation, and Stability in Plasmonic Systems with Gain

We demonstrate that the conditions of spaser generation and the full loss compensation in a resonant plasmonic-gain medium (metamaterial) are identical. Consequently, attempting the full compensation or overcompensation of losses by gain will lead to instability and a transition to a spaser state. This will limit (clamp) the inversion and lead to the limitation on the maximum loss compensation achievable. The criterion of the loss overcompensation, leading to the instability and spasing, is given in a analytical and universal (independent from system's geometry) form.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Toward Full Spatio-Temporal Control on the Nanoscale

We introduce an approach to implement full coherent control on nanometer length scales. It is based on spatio-temporal modulation of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) fields at the thick edge of a nanowedge. The SPP wavepackets propagating toward the sharp edge of this nanowedge are compressed and adiabatically concentrated at a nanofocus, forming an ultrashort pulse of local fields. The one-dimensional spatial profile and temporal waveform of this pulse are completely coherently controlled.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures Figures were replace