  Using first principles, all-electron calculations and dynamical simulations
we study the behavior of the A_1g and E_g coherent phonons induced in Bi by
intense laser pulses. We determine the potential landscapes in the laser heated
material and show that they exhibit phonon-softening, phonon-phonon coupling,
and anharmonicities. As a consequence the E_g mode modulates the A_1g
oscillations and higher harmonics of both modes appear, which explains recent
isotropic reflectivity measurements. Our results offer a unified description of
the different experimental observations performed so far on bismuth.
