Effect of multiple bands on high-harmonic generation in zinc oxide subjected to intense mid-infrared femtosecond laser pulse

We theoretically investigate photo-ionization and high harmonic generation in the bulk of zinc oxide subjected to intense femto-second laser pulses with mid-infrared wavelength (3 μm). When the electric field strength inside vacuum is below $0.6$ V/, an intra-band mechanism associated to non-adiabatic response of multiple valence and conduction bands is found to be responsible for high-harmonic generation in the bulk solid. Good semi-quantitative agreement with the experimental data is found: clean and well defined odd-order harmonic peaks extending beyond the band edge of ZnO are exhibited for laser linearly polarized perpendicular to the optical axis of the crystal.