Strong Field Spectroscopy of Many-Body Interactions in Solids

Strong Field Spectroscopy of Many-Body Interactions in Solids | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Strong Field Spectroscopy of Many-Body Interactions in Solids Daniil Kartashov, Viacheslav Korolev, Thomas Lettau, Vipin Krishna, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8211022/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract High-order harmonic generation (HHG) in solids is emerging as a versatile source of bright high-dimensional quantum light, linking the traditionally separate realms of strong-field physics and quantum optics. However, the efficiency and coherence of solid-state HHG are fundamentally limited by ultrafast dephasing of the laser-driven electron–hole polarization, an effect that rapidly destroys photon coherence and entanglement. The physical origin of this dephasing has remained elusive: introduced in theory as a phenomenological coherence time, it has largely been treated as an empirical parameter with no firm microscopic assignment. Here, we combine wavelength-dependent HHG measurements in monolayer and bulk semiconductors with ab initio many-body simulations revealing that momentum-resolved electron–phonon scattering is the dominant mechanism driving this ultrafast decoherence. We introduce a momentum-dependent dephasing time, obtained from first-principles electron–phonon scattering rates, which quantitatively reproduces the observed HHG yield scaling with wavelength. This concept bridges the long-lived carrier coherences of perturbative nonlinear optics and the ultrafast dephasing in strong-field HHG, providing a unified description of many-body dynamics in both regimes. Our findings resolve the long-standing debate concerning ultrafast many-body decoherence and open the door to mitigating decoherence in strongly driven solids – paving the way for practical quantum-optics applications of HHG, such as compact sources of entangled photons for quantum technologies. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical physics/High-harmonic generation Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical physics/Ultrafast photonics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files KorolevSupplementaryNaturePhot.pdf Supplementary Information for Strong Field Spectroscopy of Many-Body Interactions in Solids Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8211022","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":560708072,"identity":"1c072ec7-cb47-465e-8657-184e2d187fbd","order_by":0,"name":"Daniil 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