Attosecond physics: From the gas to the condensed matter phase

Recently high harmonic generation (HHG) has been demonstrated in the condensed matter phase. In our talk we discuss the different mechanisms driving HHG in solids. We identify the dominant mechanism and show that it is closely related to the process responsible for HHG in atomic and molecular gases. This similarity opens the possibility to translate many of the techniques developed for atomic attosecond physics to the condensed matter phase. Potential applications, such as bandgap tomography, will be discussed