Manipulation of the dielectric properties of diamond by an ultrashort laser pulse

The dielectric properties of diamond in excited state modulated by an ultrashort and intense single-cycle laser field are investigated based on the real-time time-dependent density functional theory. The electron dynamics of diamond is analyzed within ultrashort time resolution. The change of dielectric properties are demonstrated by studying the effect of easily tunable laser parameters including intensity, frequency, and duration time. The extracted dielectric function shows anisotropy even in an centrosymmetric diamond when going beyond the linear response regime. We also demonstrate control of the dielectric functions by the delay time between pump and probe pulse. It is concluded that a tailored single-cycle laser field can be used to effectively manipulate the dielectric properties of wide-band gap materials.