Lifetime of an Electron-Hole Plasma of Silicon in the Picosecond Range

A new recombination channel for the electron-hole plasma in silicon, at carrier densities of nₑ10²¹ cm^-3, is calculated. It is shown to be important in explaining the optical response of the electron-hole plasma at different probing wavelengths generated by picosecond pulses at very large fluences sufficient to melt the sample.