Ultrafast modification of band structure of wide-band-gap solids by ultrashort pulses of laser-driven electron oscillations

Abstract

The electric field of high-intensity ultrashort laser pulses substantially perturbs an electron subsystem of a crystal and affects its band structure. Laser-driven oscillations of electrons and holes are frequently referred to as a major mechanism of the perturbation in dielectrics and semiconductors. New physical effects arise when the band structure is modified by an ultrashort pulse of the oscillations driven by a few-cycle laser pulse. Assuming the laser-pulse envelope varies slowly compared to the carrier frequency, we derive analytical relations for the laser-modified band structure by utilizing the Keldysh cycle-averaged nonperturbative approach under the approximation of constant effective mass. Formation of indirect-gap transient bands, suppression of the nonlinear absorption on the leading edge of a laser pulse, and cycle-averaged photocurrent generation driven by the pulse envelope are predicted. Analytical scaling with six laser and material parameters is obtained. The reported results establish the limits of validity of the Keldysh photoionization model and advance understanding of the fundamental effects involved in high-intensity ultrafast laser-solid interactions.