High-order harmonic generation in clusters irradiated by an infrared laser field of moderate intensity

Extending the Lewenstein model of high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in a laser-irradiated atom, a model of HHG in a cluster is formulated. The constituent atoms of the cluster are assumed to be partly ionized. An electron freed through tunnelling may recombine either with its parent ion or with another ion in the vicinity. Harmonics due to the former process are coherent within the same cluster and may be coherent between different clusters, while harmonics due to the latter process are incoherent. Depending on the density of available ions, the incoherent mechanism may dominate the total harmonic yield, and the harmonic spectrum, which extends to higher energies, has a less distinct cutoff and an enhanced low-energy part.