Terahertz Pulse Energy Research Articles

Theoretical and experimental study on a large energy potassium titanyl phosphate terahertz parametric source

The combination of a Stokes parametric oscillator and a Stokes parametric amplifier is used to generate high-energy terahertz pulses in KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystal at 5.70 THz. The Stokes parametric oscillator generates Stokes pulses first. And then they are amplified in the Stokes parametric amplifier and at the same time, high energy terahertz pulses are generated via stimulated polariton scattering. When the incident Stokes pulse energy is 36.6 mJ and the pump energy is 580.0 mJ, the amplified Stokes energy is 192.1 mJ and the obtained maximum terahertz pulse energy is 17.0 μJ. Compared with the reported terahertz pulse energy obtained by the KTiOPO4 terahertz parametric oscillators or generators, the terahertz pulse energy is greatly enhanced. In addition, considering the large angle non-collinear phase matching, pump beam depletion, terahertz wave surface-emitted structure, Gaussian pulse distribution, we make a theoretical simulation for the Stokes parametric amplifier through the coupled-wave equations. The theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental results on the whole.

Wavelength scaling of terahertz pulse energies delivered by two-color air plasmas.

We address the long-standing problem of anomalous growth observed in the terahertz (THz) energy yield from air plasmas created by two-color laser pulses, as the fundamental wavelength λ0 is increased. Using two distinct optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs), we report THz energies scaling like λ0α with large exponents 5.6≤α≤14.3, which departs from the growth in λ02 expected from photocurrent theory. By means of comprehensive 3D simulations, we demonstrate that the changes in the laser beam size, pulse duration, and phase-matching conditions in the second-harmonic generation process when tuning the OPA's carrier wavelength can lead to these high scaling powers. The value of the phase angle between the two colors reached at the exit of the doubling crystal turns out to be crucial and even explains non-monotonic behaviors in the measurements.

Numerical investigation of imaging-free terahertz generation setup using segmented tilted-pulse-front excitation.

Recently a hybrid-type terahertz (THz) pulse source was proposed for high energy terahertz pulse generation. It is the combination of the conventional tilted-pulse-front setup and a nonlinear crystal with a transmission stair-step echelon of period in the hundred-micrometer range etched into the front face. The tilt angle introduced by the conventional tilted-pulse-front setup (pre-tilt) was chosen to be equal to the tilt-angle needed inside the nonlinear crystal (62° for lithium niobate (LN)) in order to fulfill velocity-matching. In this case, plane-parallel nonlinear optical crystals can be used. The possibility of using a plane-parallel nonlinear optical crystal for producing good-quality, symmetric THz beams was considered the most important advantage of this setup. In the present paper, a thorough numerical investigation of a modified version of that setup is presented. In the new version, the tilted pulse-front is created by a transmission grating without any imaging optics, and a wedged nonlinear optical crystal with a small wedge angle is supposed. According to a 1D numerical code, significantly higher THz generation efficiency can be achieved with a transmission stair-step echelon-faced nonlinear crystal having a 5 - 15-degree wedge angle than with a plane-parallel one or with the conventional tilted-pulse-front setup. Because of the spatially-dependent group-delay dispersion introduced by the transmission grating, a small wedge in the nonlinear crystal improves the spatial homogeneity of the THz-generation process, resulting in higher efficiencies and better beam profiles. At 100 K temperature, and by using 800 nm pump pulses with 20 mJ pulse energy, 100 fs pulse length and 8 mm beam spot radius, approximately 4.5% conversion efficiency and close to 1 mJ terahertz pulse energy can be reached with the newly-proposed setup.

Demonstration of a tilted-pulse-front pumped plane-parallel slab terahertz source

A new type of tilted-pulse-front pumped terahertz (THz) source has been demonstrated, which is based on a LiNbO3plane-parallel slab with an echelon structure on its input surface. Single-cycle pulses of 1μJ energy and 0.30THz central frequency have been generated with 5×10-4 efficiency from such a source. One order-of-magnitude increase in efficiency is expected by pumping a cryogenically cooled echelon of increased size and thickness with a Ti:sapphire laser. The use of a plane-parallel nonlinear optical crystal slab enables straightforward scaling to high THz pulse energies and the production of a symmetric THz beam with a uniform pulse shape for good focusability and high field strength.

Multimillijoule coherent terahertz bursts from picosecond laser-irradiated metal foils

Ultrahigh-power terahertz (THz) radiation sources are essential for many applications, for example, THz-wave-based compact accelerators and THz control over matter. However, to date none of the THz sources reported, whether based upon large-scale accelerators or high-power lasers, have produced THz pulses with energies above the millijoule (mJ) level. Here, we report a substantial increase in THz pulse energy, as high as tens of mJ, generated by a high-intensity, picosecond laser pulse irradiating a metal foil. A further up-scaling of THz energy by a factor of ∼4 is observed when introducing preplasmas at the target-rear side. Experimental measurements and theoretical models identify the dominant THz generation mechanism to be coherent transition radiation, induced by the laser-accelerated energetic electron bunch escaping the target. Observation of THz-field-induced carrier multiplication in high-resistivity silicon is presented as a proof-of-concept application demonstration. Such an extremely high THz energy not only triggers various nonlinear dynamics in matter, but also opens up the research era of relativistic THz optics.

Non-perturbing THz generation at the Tsinghua University Accelerator Laboratory 31 MeV electron beamline.

In recent experiments at Tsinghua University Accelerator Laboratory, the 31 MeV electron beam, which has been compressed to subpicosecond pulse durations, has been used to generate high peak power, narrow band Terahertz (THz) radiation by transit through different slow wave structures, specifically quartz capillaries metallized on the outside. Despite the high peak powers that have been produced, the THz pulse energy is negligible compared to the energy of the electron beam. Therefore, the THz generation process can be complementary to other beamline applications like plasma wakefield acceleration studies and Compton x-ray free electron lasers. This approach can be used at x-ray free electron laser beamlines, where THz radiation can be generated without disturbing the x-ray generation process. In the experiment reported here, a high peak current electron beam generated strong narrow band (∼1% bandwidth) THz signals in the form of a mixture of TM01 and TM02 modes. Each slow wave structure is completed with a mode converter at the end of the structure that allows for efficient (>90%) power extraction into free space. In the experiment, both modes in these two dielectric-loaded waveguides TM01 (0.3 THz/0.5 THz) and TM02 (0.9 THz/1.3 THz) were explicitly measured with an interferometer. The THz pulse energy was measured with a calibrated Golay cell at a few μJ.

Terahertz Wave Generation From Noble Gas Plasmas Induced by a Wavelength-Tunable Femtosecond Laser

We investigated the effects of pump wavelength on terahertz wave generation via two-color laser-induced plasma in various gas targets including nitrogen and noble gases. The terahertz energy was measured as functions of pump wavelength, input pulse energy, gas species, and pressure. The results suggest that the plasmas in the heavier gases induced by relatively longer wavelength lasers are more likely to generate higher energy terahertz waves. However, the existence of phase slippage in the neutral gases causes distinct fluctuations in the terahertz energy as the gas pressure increases. Meanwhile, the terahertz waves produced in the heavier gas are more likely to saturate at relatively higher pressures or incident optical powers. We propose an ionization rate formula associated with the gas species and pump wavelength to theoretically explain the validity of the experimental results. As a result, the terahertz pulse energy approaches a maximum value of 0.099 μJ per pulse in xenon with a 1500-nm excitation laser, and the terahertz wave to optical pulse energy conversion efficiency reaches 5.6 × 10–3, which is an order of magnitude higher than that of a conventional 800-nm pump laser.

Meter-Scale Terahertz-Driven Acceleration of a Relativistic Beam.

Terahertz (THz) radiation promises breakthrough advances in compact advanced accelerators due to the gigavolts-per-meter fields achievable, but the challenge of maintaining overlap and synchronism between beams and short laser-generated THz pulses has so far limited interactions to the few-millimeter scale. We implement a novel scheme for simultaneous group and phase velocity matching of nearly single-cycle THz radiation with a relativistic electron beam for meter-scale inverse free-electron laser interaction in a magnetic undulator, resulting in energy modulations of up to 150keV using modest THz pulse energies (≤1 μJ). Using this scheme, we demonstrate for the first time the use of a laser-based THz source for bunch-length compression and time-stamping of a relativistic electron beam.

Numerical investigation of a scalable setup for efficient terahertz generation using a segmented tilted-pulse-front excitation.

A hybrid-type terahertz pulse source is proposed for high energy terahertz pulse generation. It is the combination of the conventional tilted-pulse-front setup and a transmission stair-step echelon-faced nonlinear crystal with a period falling in the hundred-micrometer range. The most important advantage of the setup is the possibility of using plane parallel nonlinear optical crystal for producing good-quality, symmetric terahertz beam. Another advantage of the proposed setup is the significant reduction of imaging errors, which is important in the case of wide pump beams that are used in high energy experiments. A one dimensional model was developed for determining the terahertz generation efficiency, and it was used for quantitative comparison between the proposed new hybrid setup and previously introduced terahertz sources. With lithium niobate nonlinear material, calculations predict an approximately ten-fold increase in the efficiency of the presently described hybrid terahertz pulse source with respect to that of the earlier proposed setup, which utilizes a reflective stair-step echelon and a prism shaped nonlinear optical crystal. By using pump pulses of 50 mJ pulse energy, 500 fs pulse length and 8 mm beam spot radius, approximately 1% conversion efficiency and 0.5 mJ terahertz pulse energy can be reached with the newly proposed setup.

MV/cm terahertz pulses from relativistic laser-plasma interaction characterized by nonlinear terahertz absorption bleaching in n-doped InGaAs.

We have developed a tabletop intense broadband terahertz (THz) source in the medium frequency range (≤ 20 THz) based on the interaction of a high-intensity femtosecond laser with solid targets at relativistic laser intensities. When an unpolished copper target is irradiated with a high-intensity femtosecond laser, a maximum of ~2.2 μJ of THz pulse energy is collected and detected with a calibrated pyroelectric detector. The THz spectrum was measured by using a series of bandpass filters, showing a bandwidth of ~7.8 THz full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) with a peak at ~6 THz. With tight focusing to reach high field strengths, we have demonstrated THz nonlinearity exemplified by THz absorption bleaching in a heavily n-doped InGaAs thin film, which enabled us to estimate the peak electric field of the THz pulses. We simulated the experimentally observed bleaching by employing a THz pulse having a bandwidth similar to that measured in our experiments and a temporal profile recoded in single-shot electro-optic detection. Through the simulations, we estimate a peak electric field associated with the THz pulses to be 2.5 MV/cm.

Aligned copper nanorod arrays for highly efficient generation of intense ultra-broadband THz pulses

We demonstrate an intense broadband terahertz (THz) source based on the interaction of relativistic-intensity femtosecond lasers with aligned copper nanorod array targets. For copper nanorod targets with a length of 5 μm, a maximum 13.8 times enhancement in the THz pulse energy (in ≤20 THz spectral range) is measured as compared to that with a thick plane copper target under the same laser conditions. A further increase in the nanorod length leads to a decrease in the THz pulse energy at medium frequencies (≤20 THz) and increase of the electromagnetic pulse energy in the high-frequency range (from 20–200 THz). For the latter, we measure a maximum energy enhancement of 28 times for the nanorod targets with a length of 60 μm. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal that THz pulses are mostly generated by coherent transition radiation of laser produced hot electrons, which are efficiently enhanced with the use of nanorod targets. Good agreement is found between the simulation and experimental results.

Highly efficient scalable monolithic semiconductor terahertz pulse source

Intense pulses at low terahertz (THz) frequencies of 0.1–2 THz are an enabling tool for constructing compact particle accelerators and for strong-field control of matter. Optical rectification in lithium niobate provided sub-mJ THz pulse energies, but it is challenging to increase it further. Semiconductor sources suffered from low efficiency. Here, a semiconductor (ZnTe) THz source is demonstrated, collinearly pumped at an infrared wavelength beyond the three-photon absorption edge and utilizing a contact grating for tilting the pump-pulse front. Suppression of free-carrier absorption at THz frequencies in this way resulted in 0.3% THz generation efficiency, two orders of magnitude higher than reported previously from ZnTe. Scaling the THz energy to the mJ level is possible simply by increasing the pumped area. This unique THz source with excellent focusability, pumped by novel, efficient infrared sources, opens up new perspectives for THz high-field applications.

Terahertz emission during interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with gas cluster beam

We present the results of experimental study of terahertz (THz) generation in gas cluster beam excited by intense femtosecond laser pulses. Cluster beam was produced by partial condensation of pure Ar and mixtures CF2Cl2+He, Ar+He during their expansion through a conical nozzle into vacuum. There were used two excitation schemes in our experiments: single color and two color (fundamental frequency mixed with its second harmonic). We have studied how THz signal scales with various control parameters such as laser pulse duration, gas backing pressure and laser pulse energy. Simultaneously we measured intensity of X-Ray emission which originates from laser-cluster interaction. We found that in a single color scheme energy of THz pulses from Ar cluster beam strongly decreases in the region of minimum laser pulse duration while X-Ray power is maximal under these conditions. Both in single- and two color excitation regimes THz signal demonstrated growth without saturation with increasing of optical pulse energy up to its peak value of 25 mJ.

Generation of 0.19-mJ THz pulses in LiNbO3 driven by 800-nm femtosecond laser.

A cylindrical lens telescope tilted-pulse-front pumping scheme was proposed for high energy terahertz (THz) pulse generation. This scheme allows higher pump energy to be used with lower saturation effects under high pump fluence, and higher THz generation efficiency was achieved within large range of pump energy. The optimum pump pulse duration and crystal cooling temperature for THz generation in LiNbO3 (LN) crystal were also researched systematically. Excited by 800-nm laser, up to 0.19 mJ THz pulse energy and 0.27% conversion efficiency was demonstrated under 800-nm 400-fs laser excitation with ~100-mJ pulse energy and 150-K LN cooling temperature.

Parametric study of broadband terahertz radiation generation based on interaction of two-color ultra-short laser pulses

In this work, using a two-dimensional kinetic model based on particle in cell-Monte Carlo collision simulation method, the influence of different parameters on the broadband intense Terahertz (THz) radiation generation via application of two-color laser fields, i.e., the fundamental and second harmonic modes, is studied. These two modes are focused into the molecular oxygen (O2) with uniform density background gaseous media and the plasma channels are created. Thus, a broadband THz pulse that is around the plasma frequency is emitted from the formed plasma channel and co-propagates with the laser pulse. For different laser pulse shapes, the THz electric field and its spectrum are both calculated. The effects of laser pulse and medium parameters, i.e., positive and negative chirp pulse, number of laser cycles in the pulse, laser pulse shape, background gas pressure, and exerted DC electric field on THz spectrum are verified. Application of a negatively chirped femtosecond (40 fs) laser pulse results in four times enhancement of the THz pulse energy (2 times in THz electric field). The emission of THz radiation is mostly observed in the forward direction.

Terahertz wave parametric amplifier

The importance of terahertz (THz) wave techniques has been demonstrated in various fields, and the range of applications is now expanding rapidly. However, the practical implementation of THz science to solve the real-world problems is restricted due to the lack not only of convenient high power THz wave emitters and sensitive detectors but also of efficient quasi-optical active devices such as amplifiers. In this work, we demonstrate the direct amplification of THz waves in room temperature using magnesium oxide-doped lithium niobate (MgO:LiNbO3) crystals as the nonlinear gain medium. The input THz wave is injected as a seed beam along with the pump beam into the nonlinear crystal and it is amplified by the optical parametric process. We report gain in excess of 30 dB with an input THz pulse energy of less than 1 pJ. We believe that this demonstration will contribute to the convenience and further applicability of THz frequency techniques.

10 aJ-level sensing of nanosecond pulse below 10 THz by frequency upconversion detection via DAST crystal: more than a 4 K bolometer

By using frequency upconversion detection of terahertz (THz) waves via 4-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal with an optimized frequency conversion process, ultrahigh sensitivity has been achieved. Direct comparisons with a 4 K bolometer were implemented. By using a simple positive intrinsic negative (PIN) diode without either electrical amplification or optical amplification, frequency upconversion detection can compete with the commercial 4 K bolometer, while by replacing the PIN diode with an avalanche photo diode (APD), it performs more than three orders better than the 4 K bolometer. Based on power calibration, the minimum detectable THz pulse energy is in the order of 10 aJ (9-25 aJ) at 4.3 THz, with a pulse duration of 6 ns. Thus, the minimum number of THz photons that can be detected is down to the order of 10(3) at room temperature. The current THz detection system gives a noise equivalent power (NEP) in the order of 100 fW/Hz(1/2) (50-128 fW/Hz(1/2)). Moreover, by switching current optical detectors, the dynamic range is over six orders.

Terahertz emission and energy reservoir of air-plasma filamentation induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses

Terahertz (THz) emission along air-plasma filamentation induced by two-color laser pulses is detected with a moving metal wafer with a 200μm pinhole. It is found that the THz emission changes along the filamentation slowly when the pump laser pulses are focused perfectly. Although the energy reservoir of filamentation contains half energy of laser pulse, most of THz pulse energy is in air-plasma. If the lens used focusing the pump lasers is tilted, the filamentation becomes longer and the THz emission changes more slowly along the filamentation, while their spectra have the same profile.

Calibration of a thermal detector for pulse energy measurement of terahertz radiation

We present a calibration method for measuring the terahertz pulse energy through a conventional thermal power detector. Short terahertz pulses were generated by mechanically modulating a continuous wave source with a chopper containing a narrow slot and detected by a Golay cell. We use a calibrated calorimeter to monitor the total source power so we can know the terahertz pulse energy in advance. The Golay detector response to rectangular pulses is theoretically analyzed and the peak amplitude of its output signal is found to be the relevant parameter to determine the pulse energy. We accomplish absolute calibration for the pulse responsivity of the Golay cell by examining the linear correlation between the output signal and the incident energy.

Analysis of Linewidth Tunable Terahertz Wave Generation in Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate

A new scheme of optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal, which generates high energy and linewidth tunable multicycle terahertz (THz) pulses, is analyzed. The developed simple theoretical model allows investigating the generated THz spectrum and its dependence on spot size of the pump beam. It is shown that the transformation of THz radiation from narrowband to broadband is possible by simply reducing the pump beam size. The temporal waveform and energy of the multicycle THz pulses were calculated as well. It is shown that THz energy is inversely proportional to the pump beam size r y , whereas energy spectral density is independent of r y . The efficiency of optical-to-THz energy conversion for pump pulse energy of 1 mJ is estimated to be 0.8 × 10−4. The possibility of tuning the generation frequency by changing the direction of the pump beam propagation is analyzed.