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Updated: May 10, 2026
06:42
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Ultrafast decoherence in solid-state high-harmonic generation induced by nuclear-electronic entanglement
Shiqi Hu1, Qing Chen1,2, Ruiji Zhao1
1Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
Science Advances
|May 8, 2026
Summary
Nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) in solids cause ultrafast electronic decoherence and dephasing in high-harmonic generation (HHG). These NQEs suppress interband transitions, favoring intraband HHG and offering new spectroscopic probes.
Area of Science:
- Quantum mechanics
- Condensed matter physics
- Strong light-matter interactions
Background:
- High-harmonic generation (HHG) offers insights into nonequilibrium dynamics.
- Intrinsic quantum effects in condensed matter, like electronic coherence and nuclear interplay, are often overlooked in HHG.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) on electronic coherence within solid-state high-harmonic generation.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical exploration of nuclear-electronic entanglement.
- Analysis of ultrafast decoherence timescales (attosecond to femtosecond).
- Modeling the influence of nuclear delocalization on electron trajectories.
Main Results:
- Zero-point vibrations of nuclei induce ultrafast electronic decoherence via nuclear-electronic entanglement.
- NQEs contribute to the ultrafast dephasing of HHG signals.
- NQEs suppress interband electron trajectories, shifting HHG mechanisms from interband to intraband dominance.
Conclusions:
- Nuclear quantum effects play a crucial role in solid-state HHG, influencing coherence and dynamics.
- The findings reveal measurable signatures in HHG spectroscopy for probing nuclear wave packets and coherence times.
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