A tunable terahertz radiation source based on a surface wave transformed into Cherenkov radiation in a subwavelength array

Abstract

A tunable THz radiation source based on the Cherenkov radiation mechanism is proposed. In the structure of a dielectric medium rod covered by subwavelength metal ring array, the surface wave is excited by electron bunch on the subwavelength metal ring array, and then transformed into Cherenkov radiation in the dielectric medium rod. The working frequency is determined by the intersection of the surface wave dispersion curve and electron beam line, and could be tuned by adjusting the beam energy. The source, which is compact and operable at room temperature, generates radiation with peak power from microwatts up to milliwatts.