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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Scientists at the MPSD and CFEL have demonstrated the possibility of using a new knob to control and optimize the generation of high-order harmonics in bulk materials, one of the most important physical processes for generating high-energy photons and for the ultrafast manipulation of information [phys.org].

The generation of high-order harmonics in gases is nowadays routinely used in many different areas of sciences, ranging from physics, to chemistry and biology. This strong-field phenomenon consists in converting many low-energy photons coming from a very strong laser, to fewer photons with a higher energy. Despite the growing interest in this phenomenon in solids, the mechanism behind the conversion of light is still under debate for solid materials.
...
When atoms and molecules interact with strong laser pulses, they emit high-order harmonics of the fundamental driving laser field. The high-harmonic generation (HHG) in gases is regularly used nowadays to produce isolated attosecond pulses and coherent radiation ranging from visible to soft x-rays. Because of a higher electronic density, solids are one promising route towards compact, brighter HHG sources. However, their use is currently hampered by the lack of a microscopic understanding of the mechanism leading to HHG from solids.

*Sigh*, yes, Britons, we do know what "knob" means in your slang...

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