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Eyal Uzner

Publications and source records attributed to Eyal Uzner.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Multidimensional attosecond clocking near Dirac cones in graphite

Two-color high-harmonic spectroscopy is widely used to access sub-cycle electron dynamics and to retrieve harmonic timing information, including harmonic phases and attochirp across gases, solids, and liquids. However, the dependence of such timing observables on additional laser-control parameters remains largely unexplored. Here, we introduce driving intensity as an additional dimension of two-color harmonic spectroscopy in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The retrieved attosecond two-color delays maximizing the 4th and 5th harmonic yields evolve systematically and differently with driving intensity. Semiconductor Bloch-equation calculations reproduce these trends and reveal a pronounced sensitivity of the intensity-dependent delays to the electronic band dispersion. Our results demonstrate multidimensional attosecond clocking near Dirac cones and establish intensity-dependent two-color delays as a sensitive observable for band-dispersion in quantum materials.

physics.optics

Ultrafast spectroscopy and role of interlayer coupling in high harmonic generation from layered solids

High harmonic generation (HHG) in solids has recently emerged as a powerful all-optical approach for probing material properties and ultrafast electron dynamics in quantum systems. It has been widely applied for studying two-dimensional and layered solids of various kinds. In these studies, the laser is usually polarized within the layered planes, where most electron dynamics occurs, while out-of-plane hopping is commonly neglected. This is despite of interlayer hopping being ubiquitous in nano-systems. Here we develop theory for HHG in layered solids in presence of interlayer coupling and employ it for studying strong-field driven hexagonal BN, graphite, and the transition metal dichalcogenide WS$_2$. We show that sufficiently intense couplings can alter typical HHG emission characteristics such as angular or ellipticity dependence even when the driving laser is polarized in-plane. We develop an analytic perturbation theory for the laser-driven current expanded in the interlayer coupling parameter and explicitly show that HHG yields follow a 4'th order polynomial form, which is validated numerically. Our work should motivate experiments for probing interlayer coupling via HHG spectroscopy, as well as exploring its modulation as a control parameter for ultrafast dynamics and attopulse generation via laser driving and mechanical strain.

physics.optics

Two-color harmonic spectroscopy of ultrafast Dirac electron dynamics

High-harmonic generation (HHG), the hallmark effect of attosecond science, is a nonperturbative nonlinear process leading to the emission of high-harmonic light from gases and solids. In gases, extreme driving laser pulse intensities can deplete the ground state, suppressing harmonic emission during the trailing edge of the pulse. Here, we report a similar effect, pronounced ultrafast carrier saturation dynamics and harmonic emission suppression during nonperturbative harmonic generation (NPHG) in a gapless Dirac semimetal -- highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Remarkably, HOPG supports NPHG at laser intensities as low as $\sim 10^{10}$ W cm$^{-2}$, facilitated by its vanishing bandgap. Ultrafast carrier saturation strongly modulates the interplay between interband and intraband currents, a key characteristic of NPHG in Dirac materials. Using two-color spectroscopy, we reveal the excitation dynamics of Dirac electron-hole pairs as it affects the emission of harmonics during the presence of the driving laser pulse. The excitation of out-of-equilibrium hot carriers and the concomitant saturation near the Dirac points leads to a marked suppression of interband harmonics and induces measurable temporal shifts. These observations are supported by simulations based on semiconductor Bloch equations. Our finding reveal that field-driven carrier saturation plays a critical role in gapless solid NPHG. We demonstrate the potential of NPHG and HHG as a sensitive, all-optical probe of ultrafast carrier dynamics, offering novel opportunities for ultrafast optoelectronics in Dirac materials.

physics.optics