Generation of coherent terahertz phonons by sharp focusing of a femtosecond laser beam in the bulk of crystalline insulators in a regime of plasma formation

The generation of coherent terahertz phonons in a regime of plasma formation by a femtosecond laser radiation with an intensity of 10¹³ W/cm² in the bulk of crystalline quartz has been detected by the method of probing by a probe pulse of the third harmonic. A smooth increase in the frequency of coherent terahertz phonons from 2.2 to 5.5 THz has been detected, along with its subsequent sharp decrease down to 2.2 THz due to an α-β phase transition in crystalline quartz. The generation of 1-THz coherent phonons has been detected in BaF₂ crystals. A smooth variation of the frequency of coherent phonons from 2 to 2.5 THz has been detected in leucosapphire. The generation of coherent phonons during local laser excitation in CaF₂ and LiF crystals develops at the frequencies of 2.3 and 0.1 THz, respectively.     

THz Generation by Optical Rectification and Competition with Other Nonlinear Processes

We present a study of the competition between tera-hertz （THz） generation by optical rectification in （110） ZnTe crystals, two-photon absorption, second harmonic generation and free-carrier absorption. The two-photon nonlinear absorption coefficient, second harmonic generation efficiency and free-carrier absorption coefficient in the THz range are measured independently. The incident pump field is shown to be depleted by two-photon absorption and the THz radiation is shown to be reduced, upon focusing, by free-carrier absorption. The reduction of the generated THz radiation upon tight focusing is explained, provided that one also takes into account diffraction effects from the sub-wavelength THz source.     

Design of a CW 1 THz Gyrotron (Gyrotron Fu Cw III) Using a 20 T Superconducting Magnet

Design of a CW 1 THz gyrotron at second harmonic operation using a 20 T superconducting magnet has been described. The mode competition analysis is employed to investigate operation conditions of second harmonic mode, which is being excited at the frequency ranging from 920 GHz to 1014 GHz. The output power up to 250 watt corresponding to the efficiency of 4.16 percent could be achieved by using an electron beam with accelerating voltage 30 kV and current 200 mA. The important advantage of this gyrotron is that the single mode excitation at second harmonic, and extremely high frequency of the radiation, could be maintained even at high currents. It opens possibility to realize a high power radiation source at 1 THz. Such gyrotron is under construction at FIR Center, University of Fukui.     

Coherent control of THz wave generation in ambient air

Our study of THz wave generation in the pulsed laser induced air plasma with individually controlled phase, polarization, and amplitude of the optical fundamental wave (omega) and its second harmonic (2omega) indicates that the third-order nonlinear optical process mixing the omega and 2omega beams in the ionized plasma is the main mechanism of the efficient THz wave generation. The polarity and the strength of the emitted THz field are completely controlled by the relative phase between the omega and 2omega waves. The measured THz field amplitude is proportional to the pulse energy of the fundamental beam and to the square root of the pulse energy of the second-harmonic beam once the total optical pulse energy exceeds the plasma formation threshold. The optimal THz field is achieved when all waves (omega, 2omega, and THz waves) are at the same polarization in the four-wave-mixing process.     

Excitation-wavelength-dependent THz wave modulation via external bias electric field

A theoretical model was proposed to describe the effects of external bias electric field on terahertz(THz) generated in air plasma. The model predicted that for a plasma in a bias electric field, the amplification effect of the THz wave intensity increases with the increase of the excitation laser wavelength. We experimentally observed the relationship between the THz enhancement effect and the electric field strength at different wavelengths. Experimental results showed a good agreement with the model predictions. These results enhance our understanding of the physical mechanism by which femtosecond lasers excite air to generate THz and extend the practical applications of THz generation and modulation.     

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.     

Optimum excitation conditions for the generation of high-electric-field terahertz radiation from an oscillator-driven photoconductive device

We report the impulsive generation of terahertz (THz) radiation with a field amplitude of more than 1.5 kV/cm at megahertz repetition rates, using an interdigitated photoconducting device. The approach provides an average THz power of 190 microW, corresponding to an optical-to-THz conversion efficiency of 2.5 x 10(-4). Optimum conditions are achieved when the excitation spot size is of the order of the THz wavelength.     

Observation of first and third harmonic responses in two-dimensional AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT devices due to plasma wave interaction

Plasma waves are oscillations of electron density in time and space, and in deep submicron field effect transistors, typical plasma frequencies, _ωp${\omega }_p$, lie in the terahertz (THz) range and do not involve any quantum transitions. Hence, using plasma wave excitation for detection and/or generation of THz oscillations is a very promising approach. In this paper, the investigation of plasma wave interaction between the plasma waves propagating in a short-channel High-Electron-Mobility Transistor (HEMT) and the radiated electromagnetic waves was carried out. Experimentally, we have demonstrated the detection of the terahertz (THz) radiation by an AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT up to third harmonic at room temperature and their resonant responses show very good agreement with the calculated results.     

The dependence on optical energy of terahertz emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser-pulses

The generation of terahertz （THz） emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses is studied on the basis of a transient photocurrent model. While the gas is ionized by the two-color femtosecond laser-pulses com- posed of the fundamental and its second harmonic, a non-vanishing directional photoelectron current emerges, radiating a THz electromagnetic pulse. The gas ionization processes at three different laser-pulse energies are simulated, and the corresponding THz waveforms and spectra are plotted. The results demonstrate that, by keeping the laser-pulse width and the relative phase between two pulses invariant when the laser energy is at a moderate value, the emitted THz fields are significantly enhanced with a near-linear dependence on the optical energy.     

少周期激光脉冲附加太赫兹场对高次谐波发射的影响

本文通过数值求解非伯恩奥本海默近似下电子一维核一维的含时薛定谔方程,研究了少周期线偏振激光与氢分子离子相互作用下,太赫兹场的加入对高次谐波的发射影响.我们发现,在短周期线偏振激光脉冲的y方向上附加一个强度较弱的太赫兹场可以有效地扩展谐波的截止位置,并对量子轨道实现调控.通过时频分析、电子波包随时间变化以及半经典三步模型研究了高次谐波发射的物理机制,并对获得的物理现象给出合理的解释.     

Two-center interference in high-harmonic generation of H_2~+ in a combination of a mid-infrared laser field and a terahertz field

We theoretically investigate the two-center interference in high-order harmonics generated from the H_2~+ in a combination of a mid-infrared laser and a terahertz field by numerically solving the time-dependent Schr ¨odinger equation(TDSE).The interference minima in high-order harmonic generation(HHG) are effectively suppressed when a THz field is added.The contribution to HHG from the two separate nuclei is used to demonstrate the locating order of the harmonic minima.Furthermore, we also investigate the emission time of harmonics. The results show that the intensity of the short path around 60 thorder after adding a THz field is stronger than that in the mid-infrared laser field, which further illustrates the suppression of the interference minima in HHG.     

Optical second harmonic generation induced by picosecond terahertz pulses in centrosymmetric antiferromagnet NiO

Optical second harmonic generation at the photon energy of 2?ω = 2eV in the model centrosymmetric antiferromagnet NiO irradiated with picosecond terahertz pulses (0.4–2.5 THz) at room temperature is detected. The analysis of experimental results shows that induced optical second harmonic generation at the moment of the impact of a terahertz pulse arises through the electric dipole mechanism of the interaction of the electric field of a pump pulse with the electron subsystem of NiO. Temporal changes in optical second harmonic generation during 7 ps after the action of the pulse are also of an electric dipole origin and are determined by the effects of propagation of the terahertz pulse in a NiO platelet. Coherent oscillations of spins at the antiferromagnetic resonance frequency induced by the magnetic component of the terahertz pulse induce a relatively weak modulation of magnetic dipole optical second harmonic generation.     

Contactless photoconductive terahertz generation

We describe a pulsed terahertz (THz) emitter that uses a rapidly oscillating, high-voltage bias across electrodes insulated from a photoconductor. Because no carriers are injected from the electrodes, trap-enhanced electric fields do not form. The resulting uniform field allows excitation with a large laser spot, lowering the carrier density for a given pulse energy and increasing the efficiency of THz generation. Compared to a dc bias, less susceptibility to damage is observed.     

Application of high intensity THz pulses for gas high harmonic generation

The main effects of an intense THz pulse on gas high harmonic generation are studied via trajectory analysis on the single atom level. Spectral and temporal modifications to the generated radiation are highlighted.     

Broadband terahertz pulse emission from ZnGeP2

Optical rectification is demonstrated in (110)-cut ZnGeP(2) (ZGP) providing broadband terahertz (THz) generation. The source is compared to both GaP and GaAs over a wavelength range of 1150 nm to 1600 nm and peak-intensity range of 0.5 GW/cm(2) to 40 GW/cm(2). ZGP peak-to-peak field amplitude is larger than in the other materials due to either lower nonlinear absorption or larger second-order nonlinearity. This material is well suited for broadband THz generation across a wide range of infrared excitation wavelengths.     

Broadband THz emission from gas plasmas induced by femtosecond optical pulses: From fundamentals to applications

We review the generation of broadband THz radiation from femtosecond photo‐induced gas plasmas, with an emphasis on the highly efficient “AC‐bias” case where the plasma is generated and driven by a superposition of fundamental and second‐harmonic optical fields. The dependence on experimental parameters such as pulse energy, air pressure, polarization and focusing are presented, and compared to the predictions from semi‐quantitative models for the THz generation process, namely (i) a microscopic photocurrent model and (ii) a four‐wave mixing model. We also employ these models to the case of few‐cycle pulses, where the observed THz emission is related directly to the carrier‐envelope phase of the pulses, and hence provides a mechanism with which to measure this phase.}     

圆偏振激光脉冲附加静电场或太赫兹场时H2+高次谐波产生

本文通过数值求解二维含时薛定谔方程理论的研究了圆偏振激光脉冲(circularly polarized laser pulse, CPLP)作用下H2+的高次谐波产生(high-order harmonic generation, HHG)。通过对比CPLP附加静电场和CPLP附加太赫兹场(terahertz, THz)时的高次谐波发射谱发现,当在CPLP的方向附加静电场时,谐波谱出现双平台结构,且布满调制,通过电子波包概率分布图像发现,电子三次与母核复合,量子轨道之间产生了较严重的干涉。当附加相同强度的THz场时,电子仅两次与母核复合,量子轨道之间的干涉减少,最终得到了86eV到208eV带宽为122eV的连续谱,相比于附加静电场,谐波谱变得连续且平滑,实现了量子轨道调控。最后,利用半经典三步模型、时频分析和电离几率等对谐波发射物理机制进行了深入研究。     

Polarization analysis of terahertz radiation generated by four-wave mixing in air

We examine the generation of terahertz (THz) by optical rectification of a fundamental infrared beam with its first harmonic in ionized air. From polarization measurements we identify an important, yet so far unreported (to our knowledge), cross term (chi(3)(xyxy)) + chi(3)(xyyx)) of the nonlinear susceptibility tensor. Omission of this term leads to an error by a factor of 10(6) of the THz intensity obtained with certain polarization configurations.     

Proposal of a Microwave-Driven Semiconductor Superlattice Oscillator for Generation of THz Radiation

We present the proposal of a microwave-driven semiconductor superlattice oscillator. We show that the interplay of a microwave pump field with a synchronous harmonic field can make a semiconductor superlattice to a gain medium for the harmonic field. Placing the superlattice in a resonator for the harmonic field allows the operation of an oscillator. The gain mechanism is based on Bloch oscillations of miniband electrons. The gain is mediated either by the interaction of the high-frequency field with the single electrons or with space charge domains or with both. The microwave-driven superlattice oscillator should be suitable for generation of coherent radiation up to several THz.     

初始位相对超短脉冲强激光场高次谐波辐射的影响

过求解含时Schrdinger方程,用加窗Fourier分析的方法,从理论上分析了入射激光场的初始位相对超短强激光场高位谐波辐射的影响．发现相对于较长的入射激光脉冲其激光场初始位相对超短脉冲高次谐波辐射的影响非常显著,对这一问题作了比较详细的探讨. 关键词：