Atomic even-harmonic generation due to symmetry-breaking effects induced by spatially inhomogeneous field*

Abstract

We ab initio investigate the interaction between the hydrogen atom and the inhomogeneous field which is induced by resonant plasmons within a metal nanostructure. Same as normal laser pulse (homogeneous field), only odd-harmonic generation occurs when the bow-tie nanostructure is utilized. For the single nanotip case, the even-harmonic generation can be distinctly found in the harmonic emission spectrum. By investigating the symmetry and trajectories of different inhomogeneous fields, we demonstrate that the breaking symmetry of system can enable even high harmonic generations.