Isolated elliptically-polarized attosecond pulse generation in gapped graphene driven by linearly polarized laser fields

Abstract

We theoretically investigate high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and its ellipticity in gapped graphene, driven by a femtosecond short-pulse laser at various orientation angles, employing the two-band density-matrix equations within the tight-binding approximation. The orientation-dependent harmonic spectra exhibit pronounced enhancement of specific harmonics, which we attribute to the caustic effect. Using the recombination trajectory model, we reveal that the orientation dependence of these enhanced harmonics originates from the distinct band structures encountered by electrons ionized from the two inequivalent $\textrm{K}$ points. Moreover, we focus on the ellipticity of the enhanced harmonics at specific angles and demonstrate that it primarily depends on the phase difference between the parallel and perpendicular components, which can be accurately predicted by our recombination trajectory model. Based on these insights, we propose a two-color (fundamental plus second-harmonic) field scheme to generate isolated elliptically polarized attosecond pulses (IEAPs) in gapped graphene. Our findings may provide a promising pathway toward the generation of IEAPs in gapped graphene or transition metal dichalcogenides.