Hole-assisted energy deposition in dielectrics and clusters in the multiphoton regime

We propose a novel mechanism of energy absorption in dielectric materials with ultrashort infrared laser pulses of intensities below the damage threshold. Analytical theory, generalized to hole-assisted processes in arbitrarily polarized laser fields, is validated using one-dimensional numerical simulations of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Large enhancements in the multiphoton transition rates are found both numerically and analytically. The one-dimensional calculations are extended to two dimensions via a forest fire percolation model, in which nanoplasma-like structures have been identified.