Helicity reversion in high-order-harmonic generation driven by bichromatic counter-rotating circularly polarized laser fields

We investigate the polarization properties of high harmonics generated with the bichromatic counter-rotating circularly polarized (BCCP) laser fields by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE). It is found that the helicity of the elliptically polarized harmonic emission is reversed at particular harmonic orders. Based on the time-frequency analysis and the classical three-step model, the correspondence between the positions of helicity reversions and the classical trajectories of continuum electrons is established. It is shown that the electrons ionized at one lobe of laser field can be divided into different groups based on the different lobes they recombine at, and the harmonics generated by adjacent groups have opposite helicities. Our study performs a detailed analysis of high harmonics in terms of electron trajectories and depicts a clear and intuitive physical picture of the HHG process in BCCP laser fields.