Single Terahertz Research Articles

High order sideband generation in terahertz quantum cascade lasers

We demonstrate the generation of high order terahertz (THz) frequency sidebands (up to 3rd order) on a near infrared (NIR) optical carrier within a THz quantum cascade laser (QCL). The NIR carrier is resonant with the interband transition of the quantum wells composing the QCL, allowing the nonlinearity to be enhanced and leading to frequency mixing. A phonon depopulation based QCL with a double metal cavity was used to enhance the intracavity power density and to demonstrate the higher order sidebands. The 1st order sideband intensity shows a linear dependence with THz power corresponding to a single THz photon, while the second order sideband has a quadratic dependence implying a two THz photon interaction and hence a third order susceptibility. These measurements are compared to the photoluminescence and the QCL bandstructure to identify the states involved, with the lowest conduction band states contributing the most to the sideband intensity. We also show that the interaction for the second order sideband corresponds to an enhanced direct third order susceptibility χ(3) of ∼7 × 10−16(m/V)2, two orders of magnitude greater than the bulk value.

Terahertz single pixel imaging with an optically controlled dynamic spatial light modulator

We present a single pixel terahertz (THz) imaging technique using optical photoexcitation of semiconductors to dynamically and spatially control the electromagnetic properties of a semiconductor mask to collectively form a THz spatial light modulator (SLM). By co-propagating a THz and collimated optical laser beam through a high-resistivity silicon wafer, we are able to modify the THz transmission in real-time. By further encoding a spatial pattern on the optical beam with a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), we may write masks for THz radiation. We use masks of varying complexities ranging from 63 to 1023 pixels and are able to acquire images at speeds up to 1/2 Hz. Our results demonstrate the viability of obtaining real-time and high-fidelity THz images using an optically controlled SLM with a single pixel detector.

The design and manufacture of a notch structure for a planar InP Gunn diode

A planar InP-based Gunn diode with a notch doping structure is designed and fabricated for integration into millimeter-wave and terahertz integrated circuits. We design two kinds of InP-based Gunn diodes. One has a fixed diameter of cathode area, but has variable spacing between anode and cathode; the other has fixed spacing, but a varying diameter. The threshold voltage and saturated current exhibit their strong dependences on the spacing (10 μm–20 μm) and diameter (40 μm–60 μm) of the InP Gunn diode. The threshold voltage is approximately 4.5 V and the saturated current is in a range of 293 mA–397 mA. In this work, the diameter of the diode and the space between anode and cathode are optimized. The devices are fabricated using a wet etching technique and show excellent performances. The results strongly suggest that low-cost and reliable InP planar Gunn diodes can be used as single chip terahertz sources.

Near-field terahertz imaging of a discontinuity in split ring resonator array

We investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of single cycle terahertz pulses transmitted through a split ring resonator array including a void. Using a large-field-of- view terahertz microscope, we revealed the confinement and enhancement of the defect mode.

Terahertz waveguide emitters in photonic crystal fiber form

The phase-matching condition for broadband terahertz (THz) wave generation based on optical rectification requires that the group velocity of the optical pump beam be equal to the phase velocity of the THz wave. The design of GaP THz waveguide emitters in the form of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) for a pump source of wavelength 1040 nm is reported. By analogy with a circular waveguide emitter, we show how the phase-matched THz wave frequency can be tuned widely by the air hole pitch and finely tuned by the air hole size. In addition, a single THz wave mode can be guided in the endlessly single-mode regime of the fiber waveguide. The layers of air holes in the PCF design not only allow tunability of the generated THz radiation but also make small emitters easy to handle.

Extremely high extinction ratio terahertz broadband polarizer using bilayer subwavelength metal wire-grid structure

We report a broadband terahertz (THz) polarizer exhibiting extremely high polarization extinction ratio and the method to fabricate it. The polarizer consists of a bilayer subwavelength Au wire-grid structure fabricated on Si substrate by one step etching and metal formation. The THz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) measurement reveals an extremely high extinction ratio of 84.9 dB at 1.67 THz, close to the detection limit of THz-TDS system, and an average extinction ratio of 69.9 dB in 0.6–3 THz frequency range. The fabricated bilayer wire-grid polarizer shows greatly enhanced performance over conventional single layer wire-grid THz polarizer.

The THz Radiation Source at the SPARC Facility

The interest for Terahertz (THz) radiation is rapidly growing, both as it is a powerful tool for investigating the behavior of matter at low energy, and as it allows for a number of possible spectroscopic applications spanning from medical science to security. The linac-driven THz source at the SPARC facility can deliver broadband THz pulses with femtosecond shaping and can be used for electron beam diagnostics to fully reconstruct the longitudinal charge distribution. Beyond this application, the possibility to store much more energy in a single THz pulse than table-top sources renders the SPARC THz source very interesting for a spectroscopic use. In addition, taking advantage from electron beam manipulation techniques, high power, narrow-band THz radiation can be also generated. Those source characteristics provide a unique chance to realize THz-pump/THz-probe spectroscopy, a technique practically unexplored up to now.

Spinning disk for compressive imaging

We report the first, to the best of our knowledge, experimental implementation of a spinning-disk configuration for high-speed compressive image acquisition. A single rotating mask (i.e., the spinning disk) with random binary patterns was utilized to spatially modulate a collimated terahertz (THz) or IR beam. After propagating through the sample, the THz or IR beam was measured using a single detector, and THz and IR images were subsequently reconstructed using compressive sensing. We demonstrate that a 32-by-32 pixel image could be obtained from 160 to 240 measurements in both the IR and THz ranges. This spinning-disk configuration allows the use of an electric motor to rotate the spinning disk, thus enabling the experiment to be performed automatically and continuously. This, together with its compact design and computational efficiency, makes it promising for real-time imaging applications.

Mid-infrared pump-related electric-field domains in GaAs/(Al,Ga)As quantum-cascade structures for terahertz lasing without population inversion

We investigate the effect of mid-infrared (MIR) pumping on the transport properties of GaAs/(Al,Ga)As terahertz (THz) quantum lasers (TQLs), which rely on quantum coherence effects of intersubband transitions. Aiming at THz lasing at elevated temperatures, we extend the concept of THz gain with and without population inversion of a single, MIR-pumped, electrically driven THz stage proposed by Waldmueller et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 117401 (2007)] to an entire TQL. However, experiments using a CO2 as well as a free-electron laser and numerical simulations show that this resonant MIR pumping causes a negative differential conductivity (NDC) in addition to the NDC caused by sequential tunneling. Lasing of these TQLs is prevented by the formation of electric-field domains below the resonance field strength for gain of each single THz stage.

THz propagation in kagome hollow-core microstructured fibers

We demonstrate single mode terahertz (THz) guidance in hollow-core kagome microstructured fibers over a broad frequency bandwidth. The fibers are characterized using a THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) setup, incorporating specially designed THz lenses to achieve good mode overlap with the fundamental mode field distribution. Losses 20 times lower than the losses of the fiber material are observed in the experiments, as well as broad frequency ranges of low dispersion, characteristic of hollow-core fibers.

Single-shot diagnostic for the three-dimensional field distribution of a terahertz pulse based on pulsed digital holography

In this Letter, a pulsed digital holographic approach for detecting the three-dimensional (3D) field distribution of a freely propagating single terahertz (THz) pulse based on an electro-optic (E-O) sampling technique is proposed, by which the 3D field distribution of a single THz pulse sampled at different time points can be recorded in real-time on a series of subholograms and will be finally reconstructed as a series of two-dimensional spatial electric field distributions in a time series with a time resolution of femtosecond order. Simulation is carried out to demonstrate the process of the implementation, which confirmed the feasibility of the proposal.

Single-shot terahertz spectroscopy using pulse-front tilting of an ultra-short probe pulse

We developed a single-shot terahertz pulse measurement technique using pulse-front tilting of an ultra-short probe pulse and demonstrated single-shot terahertz spectroscopy. A transmission grating was used to introduce a sufficiently large pulse-front tilt angle. A measuring time range of 23.8 ps was achieved. The measured temporal waveforms were corrected in consideration of the nonlinearity arising from the crossed-Nicols arrangement employed and the beam profiles of the probe and terahertz pulses. The characteristic spectrum of lactose was measured with a single terahertz pulse, and the effectiveness of our single-shot technique was confirmed by comparison with a conventional sampling method.

High sensitivity and high selectivity terahertz biomedical imaging (Invited Paper)

We demonstrate two distinct emerging terahertz (THz) biomedical imaging techniques. One is based on the use of a new single frequency THz quantum cascade laser and the other is based on broadband THz time domain spectrocopy. The first method is employed to derive a metastasis lung tissue imaging at 3.7 THz with clear contrast between cancerous and healthy areas. The second approach is used to study an osseous tissue under several imaging modalities and achieve full THz spectroscopic imaging based on the frequency domain or on a fixed THz propagation time-delay. Sufficient contrast is achieved which facilitated the identification of regions with different cellular types and density compositions.

Direct acoustic phonon excitation by intense and ultrashort terahertz pulses

We report on the direct and resonant excitation of acoustic phonons in an AlGaAs intrinsic semiconductor using intense coherent and single cycle terahertz pulses created by two-color femtosecond laser pulse filamentation in air. While the electrons are left unperturbed, we follow the lattice dynamics with time-delayed optical photons tuned to the interband transition.

All-optical clocked delay flip-flop using a single terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer-based switch: a theoretical study

A flip-flop (FF) is a kind of latch and the simplest form of memory device, which stores various values either temporarily or permanently. Optical FF memories form a fundamental building block for all-optical packet switches in next-generation communication networks. An all-optical clocked delay FF using a single terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer-based interferometric switch is proposed and described. Numerical simulation results are also reported.

Slit waveguide based terahertz near-field microscopy: Prospects and limitations

We experimentally and numerically investigate the transmission of single cycle terahertz pulses through subwavelength slit apertures featuring zero cutoff frequency and very low attenuation. Employing a polaritonic approach we demonstrate that wave forms transmitted through slit samples with slit widths as small as λ/1000 can be visualized and analyze the applicability of this approach to terahertz near-field microscopy. Finite element simulations are used to quantitatively investigate resolution limitations due to imperfect experimental configurations. Our results show that resolutions on the scale of the slit width are possible; however, they demand an accurate control of the distance between the imaging aperture and the sample. This is because the presence of small gaps leads to around-the-bend waveguiding effects resulting in a significant reduction of the attainable resolution.

Single Photon Counting and Passive Microscopy of Terahertz Radiation

Photon counting method is indispensable in visible/near-infrared optical measurements for detecting extremely weak radiation. The method, however, has been inaccessible in terahertz region, where the photon energies are more than 100 times smaller and catching individual photons is difficult. Here we review recent development of single terahertz photon detectors and passive sensing systems to locally pick up spontaneous emission in an object. Applying a passive terahertz microscope with quantum-dot single photon detectors, we image extremely weak cyclotron radiation emitted from quantum Hall effect devices. Owing to the unprecedented sensitivity, a variety of new features of electron kinetics are unveiled. Besides semiconductor electric devices studied here, the experimental method will find application in diverse areas of molecular dynamics, microthermography, and cell calorimetry.

Frequency stabilization of a single mode terahertz quantum cascade laser to the kilohertz level

A simple analog locking circuit was shown to stabilize the beat signal between a 2.408 THz quantum cascade laser and a CH(2)DOH THz CO(2) optically pumped molecular laser to 3-4 kHz (FWHM). This is approximately a tenth of the observed long-term (t approximately sec) linewidth of the optically pumped laser showing that the feedback loop corrects for much of the mechanical and acoustic-induced frequency jitter of the gas laser. The achieved stability should be sufficient to enable the use of THz quantum cascade lasers as transmitters in short-range coherent transceivers.

Ultrasensitive hot-electron nanobolometers for terahertz astrophysics

The submillimetre or terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum contains approximately half of the total luminosity of the Universe and 98% of all the photons emitted since the Big Bang. This radiation is strongly absorbed in the Earth's atmosphere, so space-based terahertz telescopes are crucial for exploring the evolution of the Universe. Thermal emission from the primary mirrors in these telescopes can be reduced below the level of the cosmic background by active cooling, which expands the range of faint objects that can be observed. However, it will also be necessary to develop bolometers-devices for measuring the energy of electromagnetic radiation-with sensitivities that are at least two orders of magnitude better than the present state of the art. To achieve this sensitivity without sacrificing operating speed, two conditions are required. First, the bolometer should be exceptionally well thermally isolated from the environment; second, its heat capacity should be sufficiently small. Here we demonstrate that these goals can be achieved by building a superconducting hot-electron nanobolometer. Its design eliminates the energy exchange between hot electrons and the leads by blocking electron outdiffusion and photon emission. The thermal conductance between hot electrons and the thermal bath, controlled by electron-phonon interactions, becomes very small at low temperatures ( approximately 1 x 10-16 W K-1 at 40 mK). These devices, with a heat capacity of approximately 1 x 10-19 J K-1, are sufficiently sensitive to detect single terahertz photons in submillimetre astronomy and other applications based on quantum calorimetry and photon counting.

A Planar Gunn Diode Operating Above 100 GHz

We show the experimental realization of a 108-GHz planar Gunn diode structure fabricated in GaAs/AlGaAs. There is a considerable interest in such devices since they lend themselves to integration into millimeter-wave and terahertz integrated circuits. The material used was grown by molecular beam epitaxy, and devices were made using electron beam lithography. Since the frequency of oscillation is defined by the lithographically controlled anode-cathode distance, the technology shows great promise in fabricating single chip terahertz sources.