Phase structure of below-threshold harmonics in aligned molecules: a few-level model system

Abstract: We utilize few-level model systems to analyze the polarization and phase properties of below-threshold harmonics (BTH) in aligned molecules. In a two-level system (TLS), we find that the phase of emitted harmonics undergoes a distinct change. For harmonics with photon energies below the transition between the dominant field-dressed states, the phase alternates by $\pi$ between successive odd harmonic orders but remains constant above. Exploiting this behavior, we construct a four-level model composed of two uncoupled TLS subsystems aligned along orthogonal directions. We demonstrate that with selected transition frequencies lower-order harmonics follow the polarization of the linearly polarized driving field while higher-order harmonics exhibit a mirrored polarization. The model predicts that aligned systems with orthogonal transition dipoles may show analogous phase and polarization features in the BTH regime.