Excitation-density-dependent generation of broadband terahertz radiation in an asymmetrically excited photoconductive antenna

The generation of terahertz (THz) transients in photoconductive emitters has been studied by varying the spatial extent and density of the optically excited photocarriers in asymmetrically excited, biased low-temperature-grown GaAs antenna structures. We find a pronounced dependence of the THz pulse intensity and broadband (>6.0 THz) spectral distribution on the pump excitation density and simulate this with a three-dimensional carrier dynamics model. We attribute the observed variation in THz emission to changes in the strength of the screening field.     

Efficient photoconductive terahertz source using line excitation

We report significant improvement in terahertz (THz) power and efficiency using photoconductive sources by use of a spatially extended line source excitation and the trap enhanced field effect that occurs in sources made on semi-insulating GaAs. The combination of high electric fields and reduced screening effects allows 10 microW of THz power to be generated with 14 mW of absorbed optical power, demonstrating nearly 0.1% optical-to-THz conversion efficiency.     

Terahertz-radiation-enhanced broadband terahertz generation from large aperture photoconductive antenna

A technique of enhancing and broadening terahertz (THz) wave radiation from large aperture photoconductive (PC) antenna is presented in this paper. In this technique, the PC antenna is excited by both the optical and previously generated THz pulses by a laser-induced air plasma created in front of PC antenna and an enhanced and broadened THz wave signal is obtained. The theoretical and experimental investigation shows that the superposition is the main mechanism for this enhancement. The technique shown in this paper can be very useful for THz imaging and spectroscopy.     

光电导天线太赫兹辐射峰值调控研究

针对微结构光电导天线与飞秒激光之间相互作用效应以及辐射太赫兹波调控问题进行了研究。采用德鲁德-洛伦兹理论模型获得微结构光电导天线辐射光电流密度,通过时域有限差分把光电流密度迭代在激励网格上,结合麦克斯韦方程求解时变电磁场,并通过传输线格林函数获得多层介质近场到远场的辐射太赫兹波,建立了辐射光电流与辐射阻抗、电磁共振模式之间的关系模型,模拟仿真分析了微结构S型光电导天线太赫兹波辐射调控机理。研究结果表明：微结构改变了天线等效模型的辐射阻抗;同时得知耦合系数不为零时存在耦合作用,且随着耦合系数增大共振频率峰值发生辐射增强和位移;并通过设计S型光电导天线获得辐射峰值频率调整范围为0.50～0.80 THz之间,对比工形天线辐射峰值频率由原来的0.40 T移动到0.76 T,频率调整度75%,峰值辐射效率约提高70%。该研究工作为后续高功率光导天线太赫兹波辐射的共振中心频点以及结构设计奠定重要基础。     

Optimum conditions for the generation of the second harmonic of intense laser radiation

A generalized approximation of strong interactions of waves is suggested for the theoretical analysis of second-harmonic generation under conditions of self-action. On the basis of the method suggested, approximate solutions for the efficiency of second-harmonic generation are obtained with regard to the influence of higher nonlinearities, depletion of pumping radiation, and linear phase mismatch. The effects of the phase mismatch and the spatial distribution of the amplitude of the fundamental harmonic on the efficiency of second harmonic generation by intense laser radiation is analyzed. The results obtained with the approximate method developed are shown to be in good agreement with known experimental data and numerical calculations. Optimum conditions for second harmonic generation are determined in a wide range of laser radiation intensity and at different spatial distributions of the fundamental harmonic amplitude.     

Plasma mechanisms of pulsed terahertz radiation generation

We present the results on generating terahertz radiation in the plasma of an optical discharge arising in the atmosphere during the focusing of femtosecond laser radiation. Different generation schemes related to focusing of the optical radiation by spherical and axicon lenses, with a constant electric field imposed on the laser spark region, as well as with the use of bichromatic laser radiation, are studied. Directivity patterns and polarization distributions of the terahertz radiation are analyzed in detail for different generation techniques. Comparison with the experimental results obtained by other research groups is given. Possible nonlinear mechanisms of the terahertz radiation generation are discussed.     

Study of the surface and far fields of terahertz radiation generated by large-aperture photoconductive antennas

We have studied analytically the temporal characteristics of terahertz radiation emitted from a biased largeaperture photoconductive antenna triggered by an ultrashort optical pulse. We have included the effects of the finite lifetime and transient mobility dynamics of photogenerated carriers in the analysis. Succinct explicit expressions are obtained for the emitted radiation in the surface field and in the far field. The dependence of the waveforms of the radiated field on the fluence and duration of triggering optical pulse, carrier relaxation time and carrier lifetime are discussed in detail using the obtained expressions.     

Broadband generation of terahertz radiation in a waveguide

We report a novel geometry that allows for the phase-matched generation of broadband terahertz radiation in a polymer-based parallel-plate metal waveguide by means of optical rectification. Both the optical pump beam and the generated terahertz radiation propagate in the fundamental mode of the waveguide. This allows for noncritical phase matching over a broad range of terahertz frequencies. We demonstrate guided-wave interaction lengths of up to 3 mm.     

Origin of magnetic field enhancement in the generation of terahertz radiation from semiconductor surfaces

We present a theory of the magnetic field enhancement of terahertz (THz) emission from photogenerated carriers in the surface depletion region of a semiconductor. A combination of the Drude-Lorentz model for the carrier dynamics with an appropriate solution of the radiation problem is sufficient to explain the strong B -field enhancement in THz radiation that has been observed experimentally. The effect arises primarily from the increased radiation efficiency of transient currents flowing in the plane of the surface. The model provides quantitative agreement with experiment for the pronounced angular dependence of the enhancement and predicts the correct trend for the enhancement in a variety of materials.     

GaAs光电导天线辐射太赫兹波功率的计算

在Larmor公式的基础上建立了适合计算光电导天线辐射太赫兹波功率的数学模型,利用此数学模型通过蒙特卡罗方法分别计算了不同实验条件下GaAs光电导天线辐射太赫兹电磁波功率.计算结果表明,增加光电导天线的偏置电场或触发光能量,都能够提高天线辐射太赫兹波功率,大孔径光电导天线能够承载更多的光生载流子,因而可以产生比小孔径光电导天线功率更高的太赫兹波. 关键词： 光电导天线 Larmor公式 太赫兹波功率     

Optical methods for the generation of terahertz radiation and subterahertz acoustics of solids

Various methods to increase the efficiency of the generation of broadband terahertz radiation based on optical rectification have been analyzed. The solutions of self-consistent optical terahertz equations have been studied using the inclined front technique. The effect of symmetric and asymmetric resonant impurity centers incorporated into a crystal has been examined. Transient and asymptotic stages of generation have been considered. Attention has been focused on the evolution of the spectra of both generated terahertz and input optic signals. One- and two-frequency generation modes have been discussed. Acoustic analogs that would provide the possibility of the generation of the gigahertz acoustic supercontinuum using subterahertz elastic signals in a solid have been analyzed. The main similarities and differences between terahertz optics and subterahertz acoustics have been revealed.     

On the generation of terahertz radiation by a phase-modulated optical pulse

The problem of terahertz radiation generation in a quadratic nonlinear medium by a nanosecond phase-modulated optical pulse possessing the properties of supercontinuum has been investigated. The possibility of generating both broadband and quasi-monochromatic terahertz signals has been demonstrated. The conditions have been revealed under which the generation efficiency of a phase-modulated nanosecond optical pulse is greater than that of a spectrally confined femtosecond signal.     

Design of an electron gun for terahertz radiation source

An EC-ITC(External-Cathode Independently Tunable Cells) RF gun was employed with the aim of obtaining short-pulse bunches with high peak current for a terahertz radiation source. A gridded DC gun plays a key role as the external injecting electron source of the ITC RF gun, the performance of which determines the beam quality in the injector and transport line. In order to make the beam well compressed in the ITC RF gun, the energy of the electrons acquired from the gridded DC gun should be 15 keV at most. A proper structure of the gridded gun with double-anode is shown to overcome the strong space- charge force on the cathode, which is able to generate 6 μs beam with 4.5 A current successfully.     

级联差频产生太赫兹辐射的理论研究

针对差频产生太赫兹(THz)辐射转换效率低的缺点,提出了级联差频的新机理以提高转换效率,并以ZnTe晶体为例,对级联差频产生THz辐射的原理和过程进行了理论研究.通过对级联差频耦合波方程组的求解,得出了ZnTe晶体中级联差频的最佳抽运条件和ZnTe晶体的最佳长度,并且分析了晶体吸收、波矢失配及抽运强度对级联差频的影响.计算结果表明,通过级联差频可以大大提高THz波的转换效率,其光子转换效率甚至可以超过Manley-Rowe关系的限制. 关键词： 太赫兹辐射 差频 级联 ZnTe晶体     

Single-photon generation from stored excitation in an atomic ensemble

Single photons are generated from an ensemble of cold Cs atoms via the protocol of Duan et al. [Nature (London), ()]]. Conditioned upon an initial detection from field 1 at 852 nm, a photon in field 2 at 894 nm is produced in a controlled fashion from excitation stored within the atomic ensemble. The single-quantum character of field 2 is demonstrated by the violation of a Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, namely w(1(2),1(2)|1(1))=0.24+/-0.05 not > or = 1, where w(1(2),1(2)|1(1)) describes the detection of two events (1(2),1(2)) conditioned upon an initial detection 1(1), with w-->0 for single photons.     

The generation of terahertz radiation via optical rectification in the self-induced transparency regime

The possibility of efficient terahertz generation via optical rectification in electro-optic crystal doped with the two-level resonant impurities is demonstrated. Under conditions of the self-induced transparency regime the laser pulses slows down to achieve the phase matching condition. The terahertz generation is accompanied by periodic modulation and spectral deformation of the laser pulse. The most efficient generation occurs under condition of small negative detuning from the resonant frequency of the two-level system.     

Beat excitation of terahertz radiation in a semiconductor slab in a magnetic field

Two infrared lasers of frequencies ω₁ and ω₂ propagating in the TM/TE mode along $\stackrel{?}{z}$ direction in a rippled density semiconductor waveguide are shown to resonantly excite terahertz radiation at the beat frequency when ripple wave number is suitably chosen to satisfy the phase matching. The wave vector of the density ripple is along the direction of laser propagation while a static magnetic field is applied transverse to it. The lasers exert a ponderomotive force on the electrons at the beat frequency. This force, in the presence of density ripple and transverse magnetic field, produces a nonlinear current at the terahertz frequency. The magnetic field enhances the amplitude of the terahertz wave. However terahertz yield is significantly higher in the TM mode laser beating than in the TE mode laser beating.     

Transient-mode excitation, terahertz generation and wavelength shifting in a photonic band gap

Dynamic responses of photonic crystal microcavities in nonlinear media are analyzed via both a finite-difference code and coupled-mode theory in the time domain. Optical frequency generation in both second- and third-order nonlinear materials is demonstrated based on the transient evolution of cavity modes. Terahertz waves can be generated in quadratically nonlinear crystals by optical rectification, whereas state generation inside the band gap can be linked to a Rabi-like splitting in cubic media. An all-optical ultra-fast wavelength shifter is proposed.     

Resonant terahertz generation from InN thin films

Highly efficient conversion from ultrafast optical pulses to their terahertz (THz) counterparts has been achieved with InN thin films. An average THz output power as high as 0.931 microW has been obtained for an average pump power of 1 W, corresponding to a normalized conversion efficiency of 190% mm(-2). Based on our measured dependences of the THz output power on pump polarization, incident angle, pump power, and InN film thickness, resonance-enhanced optical rectification is one of the most plausible mechanisms for the THz generation in the InN films.