Characteristics of efficient few-cycle terahertz radiation generated in as-grown nonlinear organic single crystals

We investigated efficient terahertz wave generation by optical rectification in as-grown nonlinear organic single crystal HMQ-T (2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyryl)-1-methylquinolinium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate). Optimal thickness of crystals directly available by a slow cooling method in methanol solution enabled us to achieve high-field few-cycle THz waves at 800-nm pumping. With 95-mW pumping at 1-kHz repetition rate, an optical-to-THz conversion efficiency of 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ was achieved and the THz electric field strength, measured by electro-optic sampling, was as high as 110.1 kV/cm. Such an efficient THz source based on as-grown HMQ-T crystals can be used for investigation of various nonlinear phenomena in the THz spectral region.     

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.     

Hyperfine Interaction Studies on Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Rh, In and Xe in Co

Nuclear magnetic resonance on oriented nuclei and modulated adiabatic fast passage on oriented nuclei measurements were performed on several 4d and 5sp impurities in polycrystalline Co(fcc) foils and Co(hcp) single crystals. The hyperfine fields of Y and Zr in Co(fcc), the hyperfine fields of Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Rh, In and Xe in Co(hcp), the electric field gradients of Zr, Nb and In in Co(hcp), and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxations of Zr, Nb, Rh and In in Co(hcp) were determined. The dependence of the hyperfine fields and electric field gradients in Co(hcp) on the angle between the magnetization and the c axis was investigated in most cases. The magnetic-field dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation was studied for Nb, Rh and In in Co(hcp), applying the magnetic field perpendicular to the c axis. The known hyperfine interaction parameters of the 4d and 5sp impurities in Co(fcc) and Co(hcp) are summarized. The new results provide a more detailed picture of the hyperfine interaction in Co.     

晶向ZnTe单晶的太赫兹辐射及探测

通过Te熔剂方法生长出〈331〉晶向的ZnTe体单晶,利用X射线衍射和红外透射显微技术对材料进行了测试.在钛 宝石激光器的泵浦下,利用〈331〉晶向的ZnTe晶体辐射－探测到太赫兹波,激发频谱可达5 THz左右.〈331〉晶向的ZnTe晶体表现出良好的太赫兹辐射性能.     

Electro-optic effect in SrTiO3 and Sr1–x Ca x TiO3 (x = 0.014)

The results of the investigation of the quadratic electro-optic effect in Sr_1–x Ca _x TiO₃ with x = 0.014 (SCT) and in nominally pure SrTiO₃ (STO) at room temperature in applied direct-current (dc) and alternating-current (ac) electric fields have been presented. It has been shown that the quadratic (in polarization) electro-optic coefficients of STO and SCT crystals coincide within the accuracy of the determination (±5%). It has been found that, in nominally pure STO measured in a dc electric field, there is a relaxation of the electro-optic effect with a relaxation time τ ≈ 30 s due to the formation of a space charge in the sample. No similar effect in SCT has been observed. A possible mechanism for the formation of a space charge in STO and SCT has been discussed.     

A study of the microwave dielectric permittivity of liquid crystals in electric and magnetic fields

A microwave detector based on a self-sustained oscillator circuit is proposed as a means to investigate the real and imaginary components of the dielectric permittivity of liquid crystals in external electric and magnetic fields. Results are given for measurements of a 500 MHz oscillator frequency for two types of nematic crystals, 5CBP and MBBA. Fundamental regularities are identified in the behavior of the microwave dielectric permittivity of samples in electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that the minimum of the high-frequency dielectric loss in liquid crystals correspond to a situation in which the long axes of the molecules are oriented parallel to the direction of the microwave electric field. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 117–121 (January 1998)     

THz辐射电光探测原理分析新方法

采用线性电光效应耦合波理论，得到一种全新简便的基于线性电光效应的THz辐射电光探测 原理的分析方法.这种方法不仅适用于一切各向同性晶体，也适用于探测光沿光轴传播的单 轴晶体.它可以方便地描述在探测光偏振状态和THz辐射电场方向都任意的情况下探测器的行 为，并可以得到探测器的优化设计方案.同时此方法不需要复杂的坐标变换，计算方便简洁 ，而且得到一些在其他理论中没有得到的结论，有望给电光探测器设计者提供有益的参考 . 关键词： 电光探测器 THz 线性电光效应耦合波理论     

Polymeric photorefractive surface waves

We theoretically studied photorefractive surface waves supported by polymers with orientationally enhanced photorefractive effect. We find that the orientational enhancement and the dependency of the quantum efficiency of generating mobile holes on the electric field make the diffusion nonlinearity in photorefractive polymers dependent not on only the variation of light intensity but also on external electric field, which is very different from the external electric field independent diffusion nonlinearity in inorganic photorefractive crystals. Consequently the profile, frequency and especially the penetration depth of polymeric photorefractive surface waves strongly depend on external electric field, which makes it more controllable than that in photorefractive inorganic crystals. The stability of polymeric photorefractive surface waves, the effects of birefringence component and electro-optic component of orientationally enhanced photorefractive nonlinearity on the formation of x or y-polarized polymeric photorefractive surface waves are also discussed.     

Direct measurement of the intersubband electro-optic coefficient in asymmetric multiple quantum wells

An extremely large electro-optic coefficient in asymmetric quantum well systems has been inferred from optical rectification measurements. To date, however, a direct measurement of the electro-optic coefficient in these materials has not been performed. We present a method to directly measure the electro-optic coefficient in an asymmetric quantum well systemconsisting of 30 Å GaAs wells, 65 Å Al(0.20)Ga(0.80)As step barriers, and 500 Å Al(0.40)Ga(0.60)As barriers. The devices consist of short waveguides with asymmetric quantum well cores. The waveguide endfaces are polished to form Fabry–Perot cavities. Electrodes are deposited running parallel to the waveguides to apply electric fields. The waveguides are analyzed using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Interference fringes are observed in the reflected spectra at room temperature. The fringe spacing yields the refractive index of the material, while plots of the refractive index versus applied electric field yield the electro-optic coefficient. Absorption measurements through these waveguides showed the characteristic polarization dependent intersubband absorption. Because the electrodes appeared to be Schottky like, a large voltage was applied across the device and the voltage across the quantum wells was estimated from the device leakage current and the current-voltage characteristics of a similar device structure after scaling for length, area, and doping. There may be some uncertainty in this approximation. The maximum applied electric field is estimated to be 2.3 kV cm⁻¹. No anomalous effects were observed in the Fabry–Perot fringe pattern in the presence of this electric field, indicating the electro-optic coefficient in these waveguides is most likely less than 0.9 nm V⁻¹over a wide wavelength range. Clearly, however, measurements need to be performed at higher electric fields to accurately measure the electro-optic coefficient.     

A semiclassical approach for electro-optic effect

In this article, we present a semiclassical approach for modeling of electro-optic (EO) effect. We calculate phase retardation between x and y polarizations of optical electric field when a transverse external electric field is applied. Our results are well agreed with experimental measurements. Moreover, we show when wavelength of optical signal decreases, the phase retardation increases.     

微谐振环结构体内太赫兹增强效应

基于严格电磁场理论,给出了微型谐振环形和Fishnet结构体内太赫兹波的严格表达式,并利用电磁场的边界条件分析了太赫兹波在微型谐振环形和Fishnet结构体内空间分布的增强效应。数值模拟结果表明:谐振环金属条附近的电场大于磁场,金属条附近的电场相对其他区域明显要强得多,开口处表现更为突出,太赫兹波在Fishnet结构体内电磁场的峰位处电场和磁场分布关于x对称;电场的极值出现在大十字架的上下四个角,而磁场的极值则出现在小十字架的上下两端点。同时用电磁场传输线理论对该现象作出一定的物理解释。收稿日期:; 修订日期:     

Coherent phase contrast imaging of THz phonon–polariton tunneling

We report on coherent spatiotemporal imaging of single-cycle THz waves in frustrated total internal reflection geometry. Our technique yields images of the spatiotemporal electric field distribution before and after tunneling through an air gap in between two LiNbO₃ crystals. Measurements of the reflected and the transmitted THz waveforms for different tunnel distances allow for a direct comparison with results from a causal linear dispersion theory and excellent agreement is found.     

Electric field effects in RUS measurements

Much of the power of the Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) technique is the ability to make mechanical resonance measurements while the environment of the sample is changed. Temperature and magnetic field are important examples. Due to the common use of piezoelectric transducers near the sample, applied electric fields introduce complications, but many materials have technologically interesting responses to applied static and RF electric fields. Non-contact optical, buffered, or shielded transducers permit the application of charge and externally applied electric fields while making RUS measurements. For conducting samples, in vacuum, charging produces a small negative pressure in the volume of the material - a state rarely explored. At very high charges we influence the electron density near the surface so the propagation of surface waves and their resonances may give us a handle on the relationship of electron density to bond strength and elasticity. Our preliminary results indicate a charge sign dependent effect, but we are studying a number of possible other effects induced by charging. In dielectric materials, external electric fields influence the strain response, particularly in ferroelectrics. Experiments to study this connection at phase transformations are planned. The fact that many geological samples contain single crystal quartz suggests a possible use of the piezoelectric response to drive vibrations using applied RF fields. In polycrystals, averaging of strains in randomly oriented crystals implies using the “statistical residual” strain as the drive. The ability to excite vibrations in quartzite polycrystals and arenites is explored. We present results of experimental and theoretical approaches to electric field effects using RUS methods.     

Material tensor parameters of LiNbO3 relevant for electro- and elasto-optics

The complete set of self-consistent parameters of nominally undoped LiNbO₃ crystals of congruent composition that describe the electro-optic, piezoelectric, elasto-optic, elastic, and dielectric response has been determined by numerically evaluating available measurements. The parameters were determined at room temperature and consist of the low-frequency clamped dielectric constants ε^S _ij, elastic stiffness constants at constant electric field C^E _ijkl, piezoelectric stress coefficients e_ijk, elasto-optic constants at constant electric field p^E _ijkl, and clamped electro-optic coefficients r^S _ijk. It is shown that the complete set is required for calculating the effective electro-optic coefficients and dielectric constants in photorefractive applications of LiNbO₃. Received: 4 January 2002 / Revised version: 1 February 2002 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

Electro-optic modulation on nonlinear phase shift and fundamental transmission in quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation

Nonlinear phase shift and transmission experienced by a beam at the fundamental frequency during electro-optic modulated quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation are studied. Numerical results indicate that the nonlinear phase shift of fundamental wave shows a difference of π, while fundamental transmission is controllable only by applying a DC electric field along z-axis. The above effect can be implemented on high-contrast optical switching devices such as Mach-Zehnder push-pull device. The relationships between the characteristic (peak and dip) electric fields and the initial pump intensity are also discussed.     

Poling dynamics of lithium niobate crystals

Ferroelectric domain reversal via electric field poling of congruently melting lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) crystals is investigated. An electro-optic interferometric observation technique reveals spatial and temporal dynamics of the poling process. Starting from seeds, the domains grow until the entire crystal has a switched polarization. During the switching process the boundaries are preferentially aligned along the crystallographic axes. The coercive field between two sequenced domain inversions is transiently reduced after a poling event, and recovers exponentially with a time constant of about half a minute. No light-induced change of the recovery time constant, neither with green nor with ultraviolet light, is observed. The results are of relevance for domain engineering of LiNbO₃ crystals. Received: 6 February 2003 / Published online: 9 April 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-228/734038, E-mail: wengler@physik.uni-bonn.de     

Self-modulation of infrared waves in rutile

Electromagnetic waves carry angular and linear momentums and exert torques on anisotropic dielectrics, arising from the fact of the tensor property of the dielectric constant, that is, the direction of electric displacement is not parallel to the electric field vector of the incident light. The torque per unit volume exerted on a wave plate is given by P×E$\mathit{P}\times \mathit{E}$, where P is the polarization and E is the electric field, which induces the rotations of eigenvibration direction in the crystals. The rotation angles increase with the intensity of the incident light and the dielectric constant of the crystals. Because of the large dielectric constants, self-modulation of the incident light in the infrared frequency region was clearly demonstrated in the infrared transmission spectra of ferroelectric and piezoelectric crystals. Rutile (TiO₂) is a non-ferroelectric and non-piezoelectric crystal, but it also has the large dielectric constants. Rotations of the vibration direction of the ordinary (o-ray) and the extraordinary (e-ray) waves were shown in the infrared transmission spectra recorded by incidence of the plane-polarized light and transmission through a rutile plate. Interference of the o-ray and the e-ray waves transmitted through the crystals confirms the rotations of eigenvibration direction, a self-modulation effect of light in the crystal of large dielectric constants and large birefringence in the infrared range.     

Dispersive terahertz gain of a nonclassical oscillator: BLOCH oscillation in semiconductor superlattices

We have directly determined the spectral shape of the complex conductivities of Bloch oscillating electrons by using the time-domain terahertz (THz) electro-optic sampling technique, and presented experimental evidence for a dispersive Bloch gain in superlattices. This unique dispersive gain without population inversion arises from a nonclassical nature of Bloch oscillations; that is, the phase of the Bloch oscillation is shifted by pi/2 from that of the semiclassical charged harmonic oscillation when driven by the same ac field. By increasing the bias electric field, the gain bandwidth reached approximately 3 THz in our particular sample.     

Magnetic-field and temperature effects on the optical properties of dicyano-2,2′-bipyridyl-platinum(II) single crystals

Studies of the polarized emission of [Pt(CN)₂(bipy)] single crystals as function of temperature (1.9 K ⩽ T ⩽ 295 K) and homogeneous magnetic fields (0 ⩽ H ⩽ 6 T), and the temperature dependence of the polarized absorption spectrum are reported. Raising the temperature from 1.9 to 7 K or increasing the magnetic field from 0 to 1 T results in a blue shift of ≈175 cm^-1 in the E ⊥ a polarized emission (E: electric field vector, a: crystallographic a axis). Between 1.9 and 295 K at H = 0) and between 0 and 6 T (at T = 1.9 K), the emission lifetime decreases by factors of ≈10³ and ≈10², respectively. The results are explained within the C'_2v symmetry of the single complex assuming a coupling between neighboring central ions.     

Nuclear moments as a probe of electronic structure in material, exotic nuclear structure and fundamental symmetry

We report our studies in various fields of Physics through nuclear moments utilizing the β-NMR technique, including material sciences, nuclear structures and fundamental symmetries. Especially, we focus on the recent progress in the studies on the electronic structure in Pt through Knight shifts of various impurities, lattice locations of impurities, electric field gradients, the analysis of nuclear spin in terms of its components, anomaly in the spin expectation value for ⁹C-⁹Li mirror pair, the G-parity conservation law, and the Ramsey resonance on UCN for future neutron EDM measurements.