Long-range corrected exchange-correlation kernels to describe excitons in second-harmonic generation.

We investigate the role of excitons in second-harmonic generation (SHG) through the long-range corrected (LRC) exchange-correlation kernels: empirical LRC, Bootstrap, and jellium-with-a-gap model. We calculate the macroscopic second-order frequency-dependent susceptibility χ(2). We also present the frequency-dependent macroscopic dielectric function ϵM which is a fundamental quantity in the theoretical derivation of χ(2). We assess the role of the long-range kernels in describing excitons in materials with different symmetry types: cubic zincblende, hexagonal wurtzite, and tetragonal symmetry. Our studies indicate that excitons play an important role in χ(2) bringing a strong enhancement of the SHG signal. Moreover, we found that the SHG enhancement follows a simple trend determined by the magnitude of the long-range corrected α-parameter. This trend is material dependent.

Estimating excitonic effects in the absorption spectra of solids: problems and insight from a guided iteration scheme.

A major obstacle for computing optical spectra of solids is the lack of reliable approximations for capturing excitonic effects within time-dependent density functional theory. We show that the accurate prediction of strongly bound electron-hole pairs within this framework using simple approximations is still a challenge and that available promising results have to be revisited. Deriving a set of analytical formulas we analyze and explain the difficulties. We deduce an alternative approximation from an iterative scheme guided by previously available knowledge, significantly improving the description of exciton binding energies. Finally, we show how one can "read" exciton binding energies from spectra determined in the random phase approximation, without any further calculation.

Defects and strain enhancements of second-harmonic generation in Si/Ge superlattices.

Starting from experimental findings and interface growth problems in Si/Ge superlattices, we have investigated through ab initio methods the concurrent and competitive behavior of strain and defects in the second-harmonic generation process. Interpreting the second-harmonic intensities as a function of the different nature and percentage of defects together with the strain induced at the interface between Si and Ge, we found a way to tune and enhance the second-harmonic generation response of these systems.

Communications: Ab initio second-order nonlinear optics in solids.

We present a first-principles theory for the calculation of the macroscopic second-order susceptibility chi((2)), based on the time-dependent density-functional theory approach. Our method allows to include straightforwardly the many-body effects, such as crystal local fields and excitons. We apply the theory to the computation of the second-harmonic generation spectroscopy. In order to demonstrate the accuracy of this approach we present spectra for the cubic semiconductor GaAs for which we obtain a very good agreement with the experimental results. We point out that crystal local fields are not sufficient to reproduce the experimental results. Only when we account for the excitonic effects we obtain a very good agreement with the experimental second-harmonic generation spectrum.

Optimal Basis Set for Electron Dynamics in Strong Laser Fields: The case of Molecular Ion H2.

A clear understanding of the mechanisms that control the electron dynamics in a strong laser field is still a challenge that requires interpretation by advanced theory. Development of accurate theoretical and computational methods, able to provide a precise treatment of the fundamental processes generated in the strong field regime, is therefore crucial. A central aspect is the choice of the basis for the wave function expansion. Accuracy in describing multiphoton processes is strictly related to the intrinsic properties of the basis, such as numerical convergence, computational cost, and representation of the continuum. By explicitly solving the 1D and 3D time-dependent Schrödinger equation for H2+ in the presence of an intense electric field, we explore the numerical performance of using a real-space grid, a B-spline basis, and a Gaussian basis (improved by optimal Gaussian functions for the continuum). We analyze the performance of the three bases for high-harmonic generation and above-threshold ionization for H2+. In particular, for high-harmonic generation, the capability of the basis to reproduce the two-center interference and the hyper-Raman phenomena is investigated.

Model dielectric function for 2D semiconductors including substrate screening.

Dielectric screening of excitons in 2D semiconductors is known to be a highly non-local effect, which in reciprocal space translates to a strong dependence on momentum transfer q. We present an analytical model dielectric function, including the full non-linear q-dependency, which may be used as an alternative to more numerically taxing ab initio screening functions. By verifying the good agreement between excitonic optical properties calculated using our model dielectric function, and those derived from ab initio methods, we demonstrate the versatility of this approach. Our test systems include: Monolayer hBN, monolayer MoS2, and the surface exciton of a 2 × 1 reconstructed Si(111) surface. Additionally, using our model, we easily take substrate screening effects into account. Hence, we include also a systematic study of the effects of substrate media on the excitonic optical properties of MoS2 and hBN.

Strong field atomic ionization: origin of high-energy structures in photoelectron spectra.

Two distinct interpretations have been proposed to account for conspicuous enhancements of the ionization peaks in the high energy part of above-threshold ionization spectra. One of them ascribes the enhancement to a multiphoton resonance involving an excited state, while other analysis performed for zero-range model potential link it to "channel closings, " i.e., to the change in the number of photons needed to ionize the atom when the laser intensity increases. We report the results of model calculations that confirm the existence of a resonant process in atoms and shed light on why short-range potential models can mimic the experimental observations.

Direct and indirect pathways in strong field atomic ionization dynamics.

With the help of a suitably chosen momentum-space analysis, we study some of the basic mechanisms governing the physics of the processes occurring when atoms are submitted to intense infrared laser pulses, with peak intensities 10(14) W cm(-2)