We present ab initio calculations using the
R-matrix with time dependence (RMT) method for high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in argon in a short, intense pulse regime. The calculations employ a
6-cycle
sin2 pulse at
850 nm with peak intensity
2.3×1014 W/cm
2 and, for comparison with the experiment by Guo et al. [J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 51, 034006 (2018)], a Gaussian pulse with the same frequency and peak intensity. Both pulse shapes yield the expected harmonic structure in the region above the ionization threshold (approximately
15.82 eV in
LS-coupling). The spectra exhibit strong carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) sensitivity. The energy region leading up to the ionization threshold contains spectral features arising from residual coherent dipole oscillations (free-induction decay) that strongly depend on spectral windowing and the post-pulse propagation time. We show that the HHG spectrum, particularly below the ionization threshold, is a defined quantity that depends on analysis choices rather than being a uniquely determined observable. Comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental observations in this energy regime, therefore, requires explicit specification of these parameters.