High-order harmonic generation in nitrogen molecules with subpicosecond visible dye-laser pulses

An experimental study of high-order harmonic generation in nitrogen molecules (N₂) has been made using intense visible (616 nm) dye-laser pulses, where the harmonic radiation up to the 21st order is observed. The harmonic distribution represents a plateau that is preceded by an intensity minimum at the 7th order. The harmonic generation characteristics were atomic-like. It has been found that there are some similarities in the high-order harmonic generation characteristics for N₂ and Ar, including the highest-order harmonics, harmonic distributions, and the influence of the multiphoton ionization on the high-order harmonic generation. These similarities are reasonably attributed to the energetic correspondence of excited levels and ionization potentials. It is pointed out that the ac Stark shift of excited levels and ionization potentials plays an important role also in the high-order harmonic generation in N₂.