Orbital angular momentum from semiconductor high-order harmonics

Abstract

Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have led to stunning applications in various fields from quantum information to microscopy. In this letter, we examine OAM from the recently discovered high-harmonic generation (HHG) in semiconductor crystals. HHG from solids could be a valuable approach for integrated high-flux short-wavelength coherent light sources. The solid state nature of the generation medium allows the possibility to tailor directly the radiation at the source of the emission and offers a substantial degree of freedom for spatial beam shaping. First, we verify the fundamental principle of the transfer and conservation of the OAM from the generation laser to the harmonics. Second, we create OAM beams by etching a spiral zone structure directly at the surface of a zinc oxide crystal. Such diffractive optics act on the generated harmonics and produces focused optical vortices with nanometer scale sizes that may have potential applications in nanoscale optical trapping and quantum manipulation.

References in corpus (4)

• Optical spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion in inhomogeneous anisotropic media
• Tunable orbital angular momentum in high-harmonic generation
• Synthesis and characterization of attosecond light vortices in the extreme ultraviolet
• High orbital angular momentum harmonic generation

Cited by in corpus (8)

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• High-harmonics and isolated attosecond pulses from MgO
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• Enhanced high-harmonic generation from chromium-doped magnesium oxide
• Spectral control of high order harmonics through non-linear propagation effects
• Signatures of the orbital angular momentum of an infrared light beam in the two-photon transition matrix element: A step toward attosecond chronoscopy of photoionization
• Advances in laser-plasma interactions using intense vortex laser beams
• Self-probed ptychography from semiconductor high-harmonic generation