Generation of widely tunable Fourier-transform-limited terahertz pulses using narrowband near-infrared laser radiation

Widely tunable, Fourier-transform-limited pulses of terahertz (THz) radiation have been generated using (i) crystals of the highly nonlinear organic salt 4-N,N-dimethylamino-4′-N′-methyl stilbazolium tosylate (DAST), (ii) zinc telluride (ZnTe) crystals, (iii) gallium phosphide (GaP) crystals, and (iv) low-temperature-grown gallium arsenide (LTG-GaAs) photomixers with THz spiral antennas. Outputs from two narrowband (Δν < 1 MHz, λ ∼ 800 nm) cw titanium-doped sapphire (Ti:Sa) ring lasers with a well-controlled frequency difference were shaped into pulses using acousto-optic modulators (AOM), coupled into an optical fiber, pulse amplified in Nd:YAG-pumped Ti:Sa crystals and used as optical sources to pump the THz emitters. The THz radiation was detected over a broad frequency range and its bandwidth was determined to be ∼10 MHz. The spectroscopic potential of the THz source is illustrated by the absorption spectrum of a pure rotational transition of OCS.     

Tunable terahertz generation from one CO2 laser in a GaSe crystal

Coherent terahertz pulses have been generated at a range of 236.3-1104.5 μm (0.27-1.3 THz) by one CO₂ laser with dual-wavelength output based on collinearly phase-matched different frequency generation (DFG) in a GaSe crystal. This source has the advantages of compact and simplicity for tuning. The output power of the THz pulse and phase-matching conditions were investigated. The maximum single pulse energy of 11 nJ was generated at a frequency of 1.23 THz (243.6 μm), corresponding to a peak output power 182 mW.     

Temperature dependent narrow-band terahertz pulse generation in periodically poled crystals via difference frequency generation

Femtosecond optical pulse is used to generate narrow-band terahertz pulses depending on a quasi-phase-matched condition in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) and stoichiometric lithium tantalate (PPSLT) crystals by difference frequency generation. The origin of narrow-band THz generation proved that the two frequency components of the fs pulse contribute to the frequency mixing. By cryogenic cooling, the absorption of THz waves in the crystal is significantly reduced which results in efficient THz generation. Simultaneously generated forward and backward THz pulses were 1.38 and 0.65 THz with as narrow as the bandwidth of 32 GHz in the PPSLT sample. Temperature dependence of the generated THz waveforms had good agreement with the simulation result using one dimensional plane-wave propagation model.     

Design and analysis of a metallic waveguide with a DAST cap for continuously phase-matched terahertz difference frequency generation

We present a novel source for continuous terahertz (THz) wave generation using an organic ionic salt, 4-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium-tosylate (DAST). THz waves are generated based on difference frequency generation (DFG) in the device. Phase matching condition and THz generation between 1.3 THz and 2.7 THz, for optical pump around 1.6 μm, are investigated. Our calculations predict that the device produces a relatively high THz output power of 11.07 μW from a 4 cm long waveguide at 2 THz.     

Tunable dual-wavelength terahertz wave power splitter

We demonstrate, for the first time, a tunable dual-wavelength terahertz wave power splitter based on the multimode interference effect and self-imaging principle in 1 × 2 × 2 photonic crystal waveguides. Both plane wave expansion method and finite-difference time-domain method are used to calculate and analyze the characteristics of the proposed device. The simulation results demonstrate that the power splitter not only split the input power into output1 and output2 branches with equal power at frequency of 1.09 THz, but also split the power into output3 and output4 branches symmetrically at frequency of 1.20 THz. Furthermore, for the frequency of 1.09 THz, the input terahertz wave power can be split into output1 and output2 branches with an arbitrary ratio by tuning the refractive index of the tuning rods.     

Surface-emitted THz generation using a compact ultrashort pulse fiber amplifier at 1060 nm

Generation of InAs-surface-emitted terahertz radiation by application of an ultrashort pulse 1060 nm parabolic fiber amplifier source is reported for the first time. The fiber amplifier delivers 100 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 75 MHz and an average power of maximum 12 W. This new excitation laser for surface-emitters generates high brightness broadband THz radiation ranging from 100 GHz to over 2.5 THz. THz detection is demonstrated based on two-photon absorption at low-temperature-grown GaAs dipole receivers.     

Novel optical controllable terahertz wave switch

We study theoretically and demonstrate experimentally light controllable terahertz wave switch. When the modulated optical excitation source is used to irradiate a high resistivity silicon wafer, a novel controllable terahertz wave switch is achieved. The results show that the ON-OFF response time is less than 150 ms and the attenuation of the novel terahertz wave switch is more than 20 dB at frequency of 0.315 THz.     

Terahertz spectroscopic investigations of caffeine and 3-acetylmorphine

Experimental and theoretical investigations of THz spectral features of caffeine and 3-acetylmorphine in the region of 0.2-2.6 THz have been presented. The refractive indices and absorption coefficients of the two drugs were obtained by a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) technique. The simulated absorption spectra using the density functional theory (DFT) and Hartree-Fork (HF) are in agreement with the experimental data. The observed spectral absorption features were assigned based on DFT and HF calculation.     

生物基底材料的超宽频带太赫兹光谱研究

作为一种新兴的方式,太赫兹时域光谱和成像已经被广泛应用到研究不同生物组织的光学特性。在空气等离子体处施加偏置电场对太赫兹波脉冲进行外差式相干检测(air-biased-coherent-detection,ABCD)的太赫兹系统具有超宽频带和可以在较远距离进行成像的优点,十分适用于对生物组织进行超宽谱研究,而对生物组织进行光谱测量通常需要基底材料。利用太赫兹ABCD系统对四种典型的基底材料(石英,高密度聚乙烯,聚四氟乙烯和石蜡)的光学参数进行测定,并计算其在1~15THz频率范围内的吸收系数和折射率。结果表明,高密度聚乙烯和石蜡可以很好的被用作生物组织超宽频带太赫兹光谱测量的基底材料。同时,虽然石英和聚四氟乙烯都是窄带(0.1~3THz)太赫兹系统中常用的基底材料,但是由于它们在高于5THz的频率范围内对太赫兹波具有较强的吸收,所以不能用作超宽频带太赫兹光谱测量的基底材料。     

爆炸性物质太赫兹时间分辨光谱测量

利用自由空间电光取样方法,研究了四种炸药在太赫兹(THz)频段的光学特性。通过太赫兹时间分辨光谱测量,作者得到了四种炸药DNT(2,4-二硝基甲苯)、钝化的RDX(黑索今)、HMX(奥克托金)和TNT(2,4,6-三硝基甲苯)的透射光谱,进而计算得出它们在0.2～2.5 THz频段的吸收系数和折射率。作者发现,2,4-DNT在1.08 THz,HMX在1.82 THz存在显著的吸收尖峰,RDX在此频段存在多个吸收峰,TNT的吸收谱线相对其他三种样品比较平缓,这种共振吸收一般认为是由分子间相互作用或声子共振模式引起的。四种炸药对太赫兹波独特的吸收性质说明,太赫兹时间分辨光谱测量技术在炸药特征识别及安全检测领域具有潜在应用价值。作者对致癌物质偶氮苯进行了太赫兹光谱研究,发现了国产偶氮苯和进口偶氮苯在太赫兹波段均存在特征吸收峰,可用于物质鉴别。     

Enhancement of terahertz wave difference frequency generation based on a compact walk-off compensated KTP OPO

A compact, walk-off compensated dual-wavelength KTP OPO near the degenerate point of 2.128 μm pumped by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser is employed as the pump for terahertz (THz) source based on difference frequency generation (DFG) in a GaSe crystal. Coherent THz radiation that is continuously tunable in the range of 81-1617 μm (0.186-3.7 THz) is achieved. An enhancement of 76.7% in average for the THz energies at different wavelengths is realized using the walk-off compensated KTP OPO than the common one. Using a 8 mm-long GaSe crystal, the maximum output THz pulse energy is 48.9 nJ with the peak power of 11 W, corresponding to the energy conversion efficiency of 5.4 × 10^− 6 and the photon conversion efficiency of about 0.09%.     

Measurement of nonlinear absorption coefficients in GaAs, InP and Si by an optical pump THz probe technique

An optical pump terahertz (THz) probe method for measuring carrier mobility and multiphoton absorption coefficients in semiconductors is demonstrated. A THz probe pulse is used to detect the transient photoconductivity generated by an optical pump pulse. The change in transmission coefficient at THz frequencies due to a pump pulse with photon energy greater than the band gap energy is used to determine the sum of electron and hole mobilities. The weak nonlinear absorption of a pump pulse with photon energy less than the band gap energy produces an approximately uniform free carrier distribution. The THz transmission coefficient vs. pump fluence, and the mobility, are used in a bulk photoconductivity model to determine the multiphoton absorption coefficients. For GaAs, InP and Si we find two photon absorption coefficients at 1305 nm of 42.5 ± 11, 70 ± 18 and 3.3 ± 0.9 cm/GW, respectively. For GaAs and InP we determine three photon absorption coefficients at 2144 nm of 0.19 ± 0.07 and 0.22 ± 0.08 cm³/GW².     

Multi-band terahertz two-handed metamaterial based on the combined ring and cross pairs

We present the design of a Multiband two-handed metamaterial (MM) with the composite structure combined ring and cross pairs (RP + CP) in the terahertz regime. The dual-band left-handed and single-band right-handed transmission properties of this composite structure were explored by the FDTD method. The MM exhibits left-handed and right-handed transmission pass bands around the frequencies of 0.43 THz, 1.32 THz and 0.85 THz for the terahertz electromagnetic (EM) wave normal incidence, respectively. The surface currents distributions are demonstrated to discuss the physical mechanism of the left-handed properties of the proposed MM. The retrieved equivalent EM parameters and the refraction phenomenon based on a wedge-shaped model verify the left-handed properties. Furthermore, the dual-band left-handed transmission properties of RP + CP structure can be tunable individually by changing the structural parameters. The presented design of terahertz two-handed MM offers a flexibility for investigation of their novel EM properties, and important terahertz device applications.     

4种过期感冒药品的太赫兹光谱研究

针对近期几起过期药品致病的负面消息,为进一步提高药品质量检测的速度,提出采用太赫兹时域光谱技术（THz-TDS）无损检测药品质量的新方法。首先,通过飞秒激光器以及THz-TDS系统（Z-3）检测过期阿莫西林胶囊、复方氨酚烷胺片、板蓝根颗粒和复方板蓝根颗粒等常用感冒药的太赫兹时域光谱。然后,通过快速傅里叶变换（FFT）,得到其太赫兹脉冲随频率变化的频谱图。接着,根据Dorney和Duvillaret等提出的THz-TDS提取光学参数模型,得到以上4种感冒药品的太赫兹特征吸收峰、吸收系数图谱和折射率。最后,将上述实验结果与相关文献报道的太赫兹特征吸收峰、吸收系数以及折射率进行对比。实验显示：过期阿莫西林胶囊和复方氨酚烷胺片在有效频段0.2~0.9 THz内的平均折射率分别为1.90和1.85,这比相关文献分别报道的最小折射率1.92和2.05小;过期板蓝根颗粒和复方板蓝根颗粒在有效频段0.2~1.4 THz内的平均折射率均为1.84,这较相关文献报道的最大折射率1.797略大;过期阿莫西林胶囊的5个太赫兹特征吸收峰均出现,但幅值有所降低;过期复方氨酚烷胺片的3个太赫兹特征吸收峰仍然存在,但幅值也有所降低,且在1.50 THz附近出现新的太赫兹特征吸收峰;过期板蓝根颗粒在1.43 THz出现新的太赫兹强特征吸收峰,且吸收系数减小;过期复方板蓝根颗粒在1.43,1.48和1.54 THz出现3个新的太赫兹特征吸收峰,且吸收系数也减小。结果表明：过期阿莫西林胶囊、复方氨酚烷胺片、板蓝根颗粒和复方板蓝根颗粒的有效成分均有所减少,部分化学成分已经发生改变;过期阿莫西林胶囊和复方氨酚烷胺片等西药的折射率会增大,而过期板蓝根颗粒和复方板蓝根颗粒等中药的折射率会减小;通过折射率的变化和太赫兹特征吸收峰位置的不同以及新出现的太赫兹特征吸收峰,可以区分以上4种过期药品,由此可以为太赫兹光谱技术区分过期药品提供参考。     

Growth of thin Fe(0 0 1) films for terahertz emission experiments

The electrical and magnetic properties of thin iron (Fe) films have sparked significant scientific interest. Our interest, however, is in the fundamental interactions between light and matter. We have discovered a novel application for thin Fe films. These films are sources of terahertz (THz) radiation when stimulated by an incident laser pulse. After intense femtosecond pulse excitation by a Ti:sapphire laser, these films emit picosecond, broadband THz frequencies. The terahertz emission provides a direct measure of the induced ultrafast change in magnetization within the Fe film. The THz generation experiments and the growth of appropriate thin Fe films for these experiments are discussed. Several criteria are used to select the substrate and film growth conditions, including that the substrate must permit the epitaxial growth of a continuous, monocrystalline or single crystal film, yet must also be transparent to the emitted THz radiation. An Fe(0 0 1) film grown on the (0 0 1) surface of a magnesium oxide (MgO) substrate makes an ideal sample. The Fe films are grown by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system. Low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) are used to characterize the Fe(0 0 1) films. Two substrate surface preparation methods are investigated. Fe(0 0 1) films grown on MgO(0 0 1) substrates that are used as-received and films grown on MgO(0 0 1) substrates that have been UV/ozone-cleaned ex vacuo and annealed in vacuo produce the same results in the THz generation experiments. Either substrate preparation method permits the growth of samples suitable for the THz emission experiments.     

High power room-temperature design of terahertz quantum cascade laser based on difference frequency generation

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are key elements for high-power terahertz beam generation for integrated applications. In this study, we design a highly nonlinear THz-QCL active region in order to increase the output power of the device especially at lower THz frequencies based on difference frequency generation (DFG) process. It has been shown that the output power increases for a 3.2 THz structure up to 1.2 μW at room temperature in comparison with the reported power of P = 0.3 μW in [1]. The mid-IR wavelengths associated with this laser are λ₁ = 12.12 μm and λ₂ = 13.93 μm, which are mixed in a medium with high second-order nonlinearity. A similar approach has been used to design an active region with THz frequency of 1.8 THz. The output power of this structure reaches to 1 μW at room temperature where the mid-IR wavelengths are λ₁ = 12.05 μm, λ₂ = 12.99 μm.     

Terahertz wave narrow bandpass filter based on photonic crystal

We designed a narrow bandpass terahertz wave filter using photonic crystals with a line defect. An inserted linear defect in one-dimensional photonic crystal structures for a channeled filtering in the terahertz range are studied and designed theoretically. By using transfer matrix method, we examined the transmittance spectra for the proposed terahertz wave filter has a 3 dB transmission loss bandwidth of 20 MHz ranging from 0.29998 THz to 0.30001 THz. The simulated results show that a very narrow transmission band and high transmission (higher than 99.99%) centered at λ₀, and very sharp edges can be achieved.     

Magneto-spectroscopy studies of graphite nanoplatelet films

The magneto-optical properties of graphite nanoplatelet films in the THz frequency range have been investigated. The room-temperature THz spectrum of graphite nanoplatelets shows a free carrier absorption at zero frequency with an electronic scattering rate of 175 cm⁻¹ (3.3×10¹³ rad/s) and plasma frequency of 1675 cm⁻¹. The lack of a major change in Drude plasma frequency down to 4.2 K implies that any band gaps in graphite nanoplatelets are less than 1 meV. The 300 K magneto-transmission contrast is as large as 60% near 1 THz at 10 T. The results are potentially useful for magnetic memory applications away from the dc limit.     

Broadband terahertz imaging of documents written with lead pencils

Far infrared transmission spectra of several graphite pencil leads on paper have been measured up to 2 THz using time-domain spectroscopy. The observation of the gradual absorption depending on the graphite proportion has been assessed for different pencils from hard to soft black-marking graphite leads. The resulting graphite transmittance is used to perform two-dimensional transmission terahertz imaging of written documents.     

Terahertz absorption window and high transmission in graphene bilayer

A detailed theoretical study of terahertz (THz) optical absorption and transmission in graphene bilayer is presented. Considering an air/graphene/dielectric-wafer system, it is found that there is an absorption window in the range 3-30 THz and the optical transmission is up to 96%. Such an absorption window is induced by different transition energies required for inter- and intra-band optical absorption in the presence of the Pauli blockade effect. As a result, the position and width of this THz absorption window depend sensitively on temperature and carrier density of the system. These results are pertinent to the applications of recently developed graphene systems as novel optoelectronic devices such as THz photodetectors.