Ion-irradiated In0.53Ga0.47As photoconductive antennas for THz generation and detection at 1.55 μm wavelength

We present a detailed study of the photoconductive antennas made from heavy-ion-irradiated In_0.53Ga_0.47As material. The optical and transport properties of ion-irradiated In_0.53Ga_0.47As material are characterized. The terahertz waveforms emitted and detected by ion-irradiated In_0.53Ga_0.47As photoconductive antennas excited by 1.55 μm wavelength femtosecond laser pulses are reported and the effect of the carrier lifetime on the terahertz signal characteristics emitted by such devices is analysed. The performances of ion-irradiated In_0.53Ga_0.47As photoconductive antennas excited by 1.55 μm and also by 0.8 μm wavelength femtosecond laser pulses are compared to those of similar low-temperature-grown GaAs photoconductive antennas. To cite this article: J. Mangeney, P. Crozat, C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

Optical rectification of highly focused near-IR pulses in the plasmon waveguide

Generation of terahertz pulses via mixing the Fourier harmonics of strongly focused near-IR pumping laser pulses in a plasmon waveguide filled with a nonlinear medium is considered. At a certain choice of its parameters, this waveguide provides efficient transverse confinement of the terahertz mode and a low dispersion of its refractive index. As a result, the system becomes capable of generating short fairly intense terahertz pulses. Such an approach significantly (by a factor of 50) decreases the pump power compared with that in the conventional (waveguide-free) schemes, which generate terahertz pulses from single pumping pulses (optical rectification), and still yields the same intensity of the output terahertz pulse and conversion efficiency. For the Ag-GaP-Ag structure taken as an example, optimal parameters of the plasmon waveguide and pumping pulse are found and characteristics of the output terahertz pulse are calculated.     

Generation of 30 microJ single-cycle terahertz pulses at 100 Hz repetition rate by optical rectification

We report the generation of 30 microJ single-cycle terahertz pulses at 100 Hz repetition rate by phase-matched optical rectification in lithium niobate using 28 mJ femtosecond laser pulses. The phase-matching condition is achieved by tilting the laser pulse intensity front. Temporal, spectral, and propagation properties of the generated terahertz pulses are presented. In addition, we discuss possibilities for further increasing the energy of single-cycle terahertz pulses obtained by optical rectification.     

Theory of a laser-plasma method for detecting terahertz radiation

A theory is developed for calculating the spectrum and the shape of a terahertz wave packet from the temporal profile of the energy of the second harmonic of the laser field generated during nonlinear interaction of laser and terahertz pulses in an optical-breakdown plasma. The spectral and temporal characteristics of the second-harmonic envelope and a terahertz pulse are shown to coincide only for short laser pulses. For long laser pulses, the second-harmonic spectral line shifts to the red and its temporal profile is determined by the time integral of the electric field of terahertz radiation.     

太赫兹场中里德堡铷原子的相干操控

采用含时多态展开方法研究了太赫兹场中里德堡铷原子布居数迁移的动力学过程,计算了一个太赫兹脉冲序列与三能级里德堡铷原子系统相互作用后的布居数分布,以及多脉冲序列对多量子态里德堡铷原子系统的相干操控,给出了同一主量子数n中不同角量子数l态布居数的含时演化过程.结果表明:通过优化太赫兹脉冲序列参数,铷原子布居数可由初态被抽运到较高的目标态,在太赫兹频率范围实现里德堡原子的操纵与控制.     

Photoconductivity of the narrow-gap Pb<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Sn<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Te(In) semiconductors in the terahertz spectral range

The spectral dependence of photoconductivity in the doped narrow-gap semiconductor Pb_0.75Sn_0.25Te(In) under the action of terahertz laser radiation pulses has been studied at temperatures 4.2–30 K. It is shown that the photoconductivity spectrum of the semiconductor spreads at least up to the wavelength of 500 μm. This value is more than twice higher than the red cutoff wavelength of 220 μm in uniaxially stressed Ge(Ga) which is known as the most long-wavelength photodetector among sensitive photon detectors of radiation. Mechanisms responsible for photosensitivity of PbSnTe(In) in the terahertz spectral range are discussed.     

Nonlinear focusing of picosecond baseband pulses in paraelectric crystals

The nonlinear baseband electromagnetic pulses of a wide spectrum that lies in terahertz (THz) range are investigated theoretically in the paraelectric crystals like SrTiO₃ at the temperatures ~ 77 K. The frequency dispersion is important in THz range there. The dominating nonlinearity of the crystal is cubic. The frequency dispersion and nonlinearity correspond to existence of envelope solitons and the modulation instability of long input envelope pulses, whereas in the transverse direction the modulation instability is absent. When the nonlinear wave is uniform in the transverse direction, the existence of soliton-like baseband pulses without a carrier frequency has been demonstrated. There exists a possibility to generate the regular sequences of short baseband pulses due to the nonlinearity in the paraelectric crystals. The nonlinear focusing of input long baseband pulses by the exciting antenna results in the formation of extremely short baseband pulses localized both in the longitudinal and transverse directions.     

Dynamically phase-matched terahertz generation

We present the generation of intense terahertz pulses by optical rectification of 780 nm pulses in a large area gallium phosphide crystal. The velocity mismatch between optical and terahertz pulses thereby limits the bandwidth of the terahertz pulses. We show that this limitation can be overcome by a dynamic modification of the refractive index of the gallium phosphide crystal through generation of hot phonons. This is confirmed by excellent agreement between experimental results and model calculations.     

太赫兹场中里德堡铷原子的相干操控

采用含时多态展开方法研究了太赫兹场中里德堡铷原子布居数迁移的动力学过程,计算了一个太赫兹脉冲序列与三能级里德堡铷原子系统相互作用后的布居数分布,以及多脉冲序列对多量子态里德堡铷原子系统的相干操控,给出了同一主量子数n中不同角量子数l态布居数的含时演化过程.结果表明:通过优化太赫兹脉冲序列参数,铷原子布居数可由初态被抽运到较高的目标态,在太赫兹频率范围实现里德堡原子的操纵与控制.     

Generation of elliptically polarized terahertz waves from laser-induced plasma with double helix electrodes

By applying a helical electric field along a plasma region, a revolving electron current is formed along the plasma and an elliptically polarized far-field terahertz wave pattern is observed. The observed terahertz wave polarization reveals the remarkable role of velocity retardation between optical pulses and generated terahertz pulses in the generation process. Extensive simulations, including longitudinal propagation effects, are performed to clarify the mechanisms responsible for polarization control of air-plasma-based terahertz sources.     

Gouy shift and temporal reshaping of focused single-cycle electromagnetic pulses

We discuss exact solutions of Maxwell's equations that describe the evolution of single-cycle electromagnetic pulses. The solutions are applied to recent observations of the diffraction transformation of terahertz pulses. In particular, we elucidate the role of the Gouy shift in the temporal reshaping and polarity reversals of single-cycle terahertz pulses.     

Characteristic features of generation of few-cycle pulses in infrared and terahertz spectral ranges upon interaction of two femtosecond pulses of different frequencies in air

The results of a theoretical analysis of the generation of broadband radiation in the infrared and terahertz spectral ranges upon the excitation of plasma in air by two femtosecond pulses at the fundamental and second-harmonic frequencies of a Ti-sapphire laser are presented. It is found that the appearance of long-wavelength radiation in a strong field of pulses of different frequencies can be described in terms of strongly anharmonic oscillations of optical electrons, whereby electrons are pulled far away from their atoms; these oscillations are accompanied by cascade transitions of electrons from their ground state to a bound excited state, followed by a transition to the continuum. It is shown that the generated infrared and terahertz radiation appears in the form of pulses containing a few oscillations of the light field. The efficiency of terahertz generation varies periodically with an increase in the interaction length of the femtosecond pulses of different frequencies.     

Effect of dielectric properties of metals on terahertz transmission subwavelength hole arrays

We study the influence of dielectric function of metals on the transmission properties of terahertz pulses through periodically patterned subwavelength holes. Because of a drastic increase in the value of dielectric constants, most metals become highly conductive at terahertz frequencies. Extraordinary terahertz transmission is observed in subwavelength hole arrays made from both good and poor electrical conductors. The measured transmittance of terahertz pulses is found to be enhanced with increasing ratio of the real to the imaginary dielectric constant of the constituent metals, for which the dielectric function follows the Drude model.     

Photo-induced superconductivity

Recent advances in laser technology have made it possible to generate of precisely shaped strong-field pulses at terahertz frequencies. These pulses are especially useful to selectively drive collective modes of solids, for example, to drive materials in a fashion similar to what done in the synthetic environment of optical lattices. One of the most interesting applications involves the creation of non-equilibrium phases with new emergent properties. Here, I discuss coherent control of the lattice to favour superconductivity at ‘ultra-high’ temperatures, sometimes far above the thermodynamic critical temperature T_c.     

Optical orientation of dipolar centers: Theory, experiment, application

Recently novel nonlinear optical phenomenon, optical orientation of dipolar centers (OODC), was firstly predicted theoretically and then found experimentally. From the phenomenological point of view the OODC-effect can be considered as a kind of optical rectification and consequently observed in any noncentrosymmetric crystals. However, unlike the later it requires existence in a host crystal matrix some impurities or their associates having permanent dipolar moments and taking participation in electronic transitions induced by illumination of the crystal. In this report three aspects of the OODC-effect are discussed: phenomenology and a simple microscopic model of the effect; results of experimental observation of a macroscopic electric polarization in Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ crystal; and possible application of this phenomenon in different fields of ultrafast optoelectronics in particular for generation of ultrashort electric pulses and ultra-broadband terahertz pulses.     

Theoretical model of terahertz radiation generation by laser pulses with tilted wave fronts

A theoretical model is proposed for terahertz radiation generation by femtosecond laser pulses with tilted wave fronts. Self-consistent evolution of the optical and terahertz pulses is investigated. The red shift of the pumping pulse spectrum and the formation of short-long-wave quasi-solitons are examined.     

Diffraction of terahertz waves after passing through a Fresnel lens

The spatiotemporal and spectral characteristics of ultrawide-band terahertz pulses after passing through a Fresnel lens are studied by using the scalar diffraction theory. The simulation shows that the transmitted terahertz waveforms compress with increasing propagation distance, and the multi-frequency focusing phenomenon at different focal points is observed. Additionally, the distribution of terahertz fields in a plane perpendicular to the axis is also discussed, and it is found that the diffraction not only induces focusing on-axis but also inhibits focusing at off-axis positions. Therefore, the Fresnel lens may be a useful alternative approach to being a terahertz filter. Moreover, the terahertz pulses travelling as a basic mode of a Gaussian beam are discussed in detail.     

Investigation of parameters of terahertz pulses generated in single-domain LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystal by step-wise phase mask

A new scheme for the efficient generation of broadband terahertz radiation via optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses in the single-domain lithium niobate crystal equipped with the step-wise phase mask (SPM) is investigated. It is shown that using the SPM one can provide the phase matching for all the spectral components of a terahertz pulse by providing the effective conversion of laser radiation in the terahertz region. The angular distribution of spectral components, as well as the temporal shape of terahertz pulses in the wave zone is studied. These results can be applied in the time-domain spectroscopy, the imaging of hidden objects, and etc.     

Terahertz pulse emission from semiconductor surfaces illuminated by femtosecond Yb:KGW laser pulses

The amplitudes of terahertz pulses emitted from the surfaces of InAs, InSb, InGaAs, GaAs and Ge after their excitation by femtosecond 1 μm laser pulses was compared. It has been found that this effect is most efficient in p-type InAs. The mechanisms leading to the terahertz emission are investigated and discussed. It has been concluded that in the majority of the investigated semiconductors the main contribution to THz pulse emission comes from the electrical-field-induced optical rectification effect.