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.     

Noncascading THz-wave parametric oscillator synchronously pumped by mode-locked picosecond Ti:sapphire laser in doubly-resonant external cavity

A noncascading terahertz (THz) wave parametric oscillator synchronously pumped by a mode-locked picosecond Ti:sapphire laser whose average power was less than 1 W was demonstrated with a noncollinear phase-matching MgO:LiNbO₃ crystal in an external enhancement cavity doubly resonant for both pump (780 nm) and signal (781-784 nm) waves. In the external cavity, in which the pump wave enhanced so as to reduce the pumping threshold of parametric processes, the signal wave could also resonate and thus be enhanced simultaneously, resulting in a THz wave output at approximately 0.9 THz as the idler wave. The novel dual enhancement of pump and signal waves reduced the threshold pumping intensity to approximately 50 MW/cm², which was much lower than that of a conventional externally pumped THz wave parametric oscillator with a crystal.     

Scaling submillimeter single-cycle transients toward megavolts per centimeter field strength via optical rectification in the organic crystal OH1

We present the generation of high-power single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses in the organic salt crystal 2-[3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5.5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene]malononitrile or OH1. Broadband THz radiation with a central frequency of 1.5 THz (λ(c)=200 μm) and high electric field strength of 440 kV/cm is produced by optical rectification driven by the signal of a powerful femtosecond optical parametric amplifier. A 1.5% pump to THz energy conversion efficiency is reported, and pulse energy stability better than 1% RMS is achieved. An approach toward the realization of higher field strength is discussed.     

Terahertz wave generation via pre-ionized air plasma

We report the terahertz(THz) wave generation from a single-color scheme modulated by pre-ionized air plasma via an orthogonal pumping geometry. It is found that the amplitude of the THz signal generated by the pump beam tends to decrease gradually with the increase of the modulation power. We believe that the ponderomotive force plays an important role in the process of the interaction between the pump beam and the pre-ionization beam. The hydrostatic state of the electrostatic separation field caused by the modulation beam will directly affect the generation efficiency of the THz wave. Our results contribute to further understanding of the theoretical mechanism and expanding of the practical applications of THz wave generation and modulation.     

Broadband Terahertz Wave Generation from Monolayer Graphene Driven by Few-Cycle Laser Pulse

We theoretically investigate the characteristics of terahertz(THz) radiation from monolayer graphene exposed to normal incident few-cycle laser pulses, by numerically solving the extended semiconductor Bloch equations. Our simulations show that the THz spectra in low frequency regions are highly dependent on the carrier envelope phase(CEP) of driving laser pulses. Using an optimal CEP of few-cycle laser pulses, we can obtain broadband strong THz waves, due to the symmetry breaking of the laser-graphene system. Our results also show that the strength of the THz spectra depend on both the intensity and central wavelength of the laser pulses. The intensity dependence of the THz wave can be described by the excitation rate of graphene, while wavelength dependence can be traced back to the band velocity and the population of graphene. We find that a near single-cycle THz pulse can be obtained from graphene driven by a mid-infrared laser pulse.     

Dynamics of molecular alignment steered by a few-cycle terahertz laser pulse

The field-free alignment of molecule ClCN is investigated by using a terahertz few-cycle pulse (THz FCP) based on the time-dependent density matrix theory. It is shown that a high degree of molecular alignment can be obtained by changing the matching number of the THz FCPs in the adiabatic regime and the non-adiabatic regime. The matching number can affect both the maximum value of the alignment and the time at which it is achieved. It is also found that a higher degree of alignment can be achieved by using the THz FCP at lower intensity and there exists an optimal threshold of molecular alignment with the increase of the field amplitude. Also found is the frequency sensitive region in which the degree of maximum alignment can be enhanced greatly by modulating the center frequencies of different THz FCPs. The investigation demonstrates that comparing with a THz single-cycle pulse, a better result of the field-free alignment can be created by a THz FCP at a constant rotational temperature of molecule.     

"All air-plasma" terahertz spectroscopy

We demonstrate terahertz wave generation and detection capabilities up to 6 THz without the need for solid state materials, biased electrodes, or forward propagating signal collection. An "all air-plasma" terahertz system is used to encode explosive material resonant signatures into the 357 nm nitrogen fluorescence line of a bichromatic field-induced laser plasma filament. These results show the practicability to extend these measurements to remote locations where terahertz pulse information is no longer limited by water vapor absorption, phonon resonance, or signal collection directionality.     

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.     

THz电磁波在时变非磁化等离子体中的传播特性研究

本文建立了时变非磁化等离子体平板的一维模型,并采用时域有限差分(FDTD)方法对太赫兹(THz)电磁波在时变等离子体中传播时的反射、透射系数及吸收率进行了计算.然后根据计算结果分析了时变等离子体的上升时间、电子密度、温度以及等离子体平板厚度等参数对不同频段THz波在等离子体中传播特性的影响.分析结果表明:THz波在时变等离子体中传播时,其反射系数受等离子体电子密度和上升时间的影响较大;而吸收率则随着上升时间的减小、电子密度及平板厚度的增加而增大;此外,THz电磁波能够穿透量级为1020m-3的高密度等离子体层,可以作为再入段飞行器通信以及高密度等离子体诊断的理想工具.     

Resonance Selective Excitation of Terahertz Plasma Waves in a Semiconductor Quantum Well Using Two-Color Laser Radiation

A new method of coherent resonance excitation of plasma instability in a 2D quantum well driven by twocolor laser radiation due to photoinduced generation of electron–hole pairs is proposed. It is shown that under the resonance condition, where the frequency and wavenumber of the beat wave obey the 2D plasmon dispersion relation, a spacecharge wave is excited efficiently. A selfconsistent treatment of the problem is presented and the smallsignal response of the 2D system in the THz frequency region is found. This new method provides the selective resonance excitation of plasmons, tuning of their frequency, and efficient control of plasma wave parameters crucial for THz semiconductor technology.     

THz wave polarization-controlled spectroscopic imaging for anisotropic materials

We present a polarization-controlled terahertz (THz) wave spectroscopic imaging modality to investigate the anisotropy of the detected materials. The polarization of the emitted THz wave is controlled by changing the relative phase between the fundamental and second-harmonic waves in the two-color laser-induced air plasma THz generation configuration. The THz wave polarization direction is extracted by measuring the two electric field amplitudes when the polarization of the incident wave is controlled to be horizontal and vertical. The anisotropy of the industrial Sprayed-On-Foam-Insulation (SOFI) is characterized by measuring its azimuthal angle dependent THz polarization response. This work demonstrates that THz wave polarization-controlled imaging technique can be used for highly sensitive industrial nondestructive inspection and biological related characterization.     

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.     

Propagation characteristics of oblique incidence terahertz wave through non-uniform plasma

The propagation characteristics of oblique incidence terahertz(THz) waves through non-uniform plasma are investigated by the shift-operator finite-difference time-domain(SO-FDTD) method combined with the phase matching condition.The electron density distribution of the non-uniform plasma is assumed to be in a Gaussian profile. Validation of the present method is performed by comparing the results with those obtained by an analytical method for a homogeneous plasma slab.Then the effects of parameters of THz wave and plasma layer on the propagation properties are analyzed. It is found that the transmission coefficients greatly depend on the incident angle as well as on the thickness of the plasma, while the polarization of the incident wave has little influence on the propagation process in the range of frequency considered in this paper. The results confirm that the THz wave can pass through the plasma sheath effectively under certain conditions,which makes it a potential candidate to overcome the ionization blackout problem.     

β-Zn3BPO7非线性光学晶体的光谱特性

测量了β-Zn3BPO7晶体(001)方向的红外－可见－紫外光波段的透射与反射光谱, 从而得到反射谱R透射谱T, 以及吸收系数, 并得出样品的禁带能隙Eg=3.198 eV。利用太赫兹时域光谱(THz—TDS)测量技术, 测量了THz辐射脉冲参考波形和透过样品后的信号波形, 进行傅立叶变换和简单的数学处理, 得到β-Zn3BPO7样品的介电系数的实部和虚部, 以及吸收系数的变化频谱α(ν)。在1.396, 2.002, 2.476和2.674 THz处, 分别存在明显的共振吸收峰。在THz波段的吸收较小, 特别是在0.5 T到1.5 T之间, 吸收几乎接近于零, 而样品在高频端有吸收增大的趋势。     

Generation of THz Radiation by Laser Plasma Interaction

This paper presents the three wave parametric decay process to generate the Terahertz (THz) radiations in magnetized plasma. The pump wave (Laser beam) is considered in the extraordinary mode (x‐mode), propagating perpendicular to the background magnetic field. This pump wave decays into an upper hybrid wave and a THz wave which is in magnetosonic mode. The appropriate expressions for the coupling coefficients of the threewave interaction and THz wave amplitude have been derived. Subsequently, the growth rate of this decay instability is also calculated. Various laser and plasma parameters were optimized and we report efficiency of the order of ～1.4 × 10^–2 for current scheme. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Terahertz reflection imaging using Kirchhoff migration

We describe a new imaging method that uses single-cycle pulses of terahertz (THz) radiation. This technique emulates data-collection and image-processing procedures developed for geophysical prospecting and is made possible by the availability of fiber-coupled THz receiver antennas. We use a simple migration procedure to solve the inverse problem; this permits us to reconstruct the location and shape of targets. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the THz system as a test-bed for the exploration of new seismic processing methods involving complex model systems.     

Coupled THz Waveguide Utilizing Surface Plasmon Polaritons on Thin Dielectric Slab Sandwiched between Two Corrugated Metallic Claddings

We present a comprehensive experimental study of terahertz （THz） wave propagation utilizing surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） on the interfaces of a thin dielectric core layer sandwiched between two corrugated metallic claddings. THz wave impinges on the structured surfaces at normal incidence. Long-lasting oscillation propagation features are observed in the temporal waveform after traveling through the periodic arrays. The enhanced THz transmission can be achieved due to the coupling between incident waves to SPPs at the bottom and top interfaces. The finite element method is used to simulate the field distribution and the transmission mode in the waveguide. The hybrid waveguide with low absorption has great potential applications in THz integrated devices.     

Nonlinear cross-phase modulation with intense single-cycle terahertz pulses

We have demonstrated nonlinear cross-phase modulation in electro-optic crystals using intense, single-cycle terahertz (THz) radiation. Individual THz pulses, generated by coherent transition radiation emitted by subpicosecond electron bunches, have peak energies of up to 100 microJ per pulse. The time-dependent electric field of the intense THz pulses induces cross-phase modulation in electro-optic crystals through the Pockels effect, leading to spectral shifting, broadening, and modulation of copropagating laser pulses. The observed THz-induced cross-phase modulation agrees well with a time-dependent phase-shift model.     

Controlling the spectrum of high-power terahertz radiation from a laser-driven plasma wave

Generation of strong THz waves is a very important and difficult research issue. We performed particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation studies to investigate the possibility of powerful THz generation and spectrum controllability by using a laser-driven plasma wave. Our results show that it is possible to produce spectrum-controllable high-power (>1 MV/cm) THz waves by manipulating the plasma density profiles. This method may provide a good way for coherent high-power THz radiation sources, of which the spectrum ranges from a narrow bandwidth to a wide bandwidth.     

Creation of multi-frequency terahertz waves by optimized cascaded difference frequency generation

A new scheme which generates multi-frequency terahertz (THz) waves from planar waveguide by the optimized cascaded difference frequency generation (OCDFG) is proposed. A THz wave with frequency ω_T1 is generated by the OCDFG with two infrared pump waves, and simultaneously a series of cascaded optical waves with a frequency interval ω_T1 is generated. The THz wave with a frequency of M-times ω_T1 is generated by mixing the m-th-order and the (m+M)-th-order cascaded optical wave. The phase mismatch distributions of cascaded difference frequency generation (CDFG) are modulated by changing the thickness of planar waveguide step by step, thereby satisfying the phase-matching condition from first-order to high-order cascaded Stokes process step by step. As a result, the intensity of THz wave can be enhanced and modulated by controlling the cascading order of OCDFG.