Generation of 30 microJ single-cycle terahertz pulses at 100 Hz repetition rate by optical rectification

Quantum control of field-free molecular orientation

Generating field-free (non-stationary) orientation of molecules in space has been a longstanding goal in the field of quantum control of molecular rotation, which has significant applications in physical chemistry, chemical physics, strong-field physics, and quantum information science. In this Perspective, we review and examine several representative control schemes developed in recent years and implemented in theoretical and experimental areas for generating field-free orientation of molecules. By conducting numerical simulations of different control schemes on the same molecular system, we demonstrate that quantum coherent control, specifically targeting a limited number of the lowest-lying rotational levels to achieve an optimal superposition, can result in a high degree of orientation. To this end, we provide an overview of our latest developed analytical method, which enables the precise design of terahertz field parameters through resonant excitation. This design approach facilitates the attainment of desired field-free orientations by optimizing the amplitudes and phases of rotational wave functions for the selected rotational levels. Finally, we outlook the significance of such progress in multiple frontier research fields, highlighting its potential applications in ultracold physics, quantum computation, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology.

Generation of 13.9-mJ Terahertz Radiation from Lithium Niobate Materials

Extremely strong-field terahertz (THz) radiation in free space has compelling applications in nonequilibrium condensed matter state regulation, all-optical THz electron acceleration and manipulation, THz biological effects, etc. However, these practical applications are constrained by the absence of high-intensity, high-efficiency, high-beam-quality, and stable solid-state THz light sources. Here, the generation of single-cycle 13.9-mJ extreme THz pulses from cryogenically cooled lithium niobate crystals and a 1.2% energy conversion efficiency from 800 nm to THz are demonstrated experimentally using the tilted pulse-front technique driven by a home-built 30-fs, 1.2-Joule Ti:sapphire laser amplifier. The focused peak electric field strength is estimated to be 7.5 MV cm^-1 . A record of 1.1-mJ THz single-pulse energy at a 450 mJ pump at room temperature is produced and observed that the self-phase modulation of the optical pump can induce THz saturation behavior from the crystals in the substantially nonlinear pump regime. This study lays the foundation for the generation of sub-Joule THz radiation from lithium niobate crystals and will inspire more innovations in extreme THz science and applications.

Intense multicycle THz pulse generation from laser-produced nanoplasmas

We present a novel scheme to obtain robust, narrowband, and tunable THz emission using a nano-dimensional overdense plasma target, irradiated by two counter-propagating detuned laser pulses. So far, no narrowband THz sources with a field strength of GV/m-level have been reported from laser-solid interaction (mostly half-or single-cycle THz pulses with only broadband frequency spectrum). From two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we find that the strong plasma current generated by the beat ponderomotive force in the colliding region, produces beat-frequency radiation in the THz range. Here we report intense THz pulses [Formula: see text]THz) with an unprecedentedly high peak field strength of 11.9 GV/m and spectral width [Formula: see text], which leads to a regime of an extremely bright narrowband THz source of TW/cm[Formula: see text], suitable for various ambitious applications.

Wavelength conversion through plasmon-coupled surface states

Surface states generally degrade semiconductor device performance by raising the charge injection barrier height, introducing localized trap states, inducing surface leakage current, and altering the electric potential. We show that the giant built-in electric field created by the surface states can be harnessed to enable passive wavelength conversion without utilizing any nonlinear optical phenomena. Photo-excited surface plasmons are coupled to the surface states to generate an electron gas, which is routed to a nanoantenna array through the giant electric field created by the surface states. The induced current on the nanoantennas, which contains mixing product of different optical frequency components, generates radiation at the beat frequencies of the incident photons. We utilize the functionalities of plasmon-coupled surface states to demonstrate passive wavelength conversion of nanojoule optical pulses at a 1550 nm center wavelength to terahertz regime with efficiencies that exceed nonlinear optical methods by 4-orders of magnitude.

Semiconductor surface states often stand in the way of device performance, but here, the authors take advantage of them for wavelength conversion. They present a compact, passive conversion device insensitive to optical alignment by using plasmon-coupled surface states that enable the efficient conversion without nonlinear phenomena.

Terahertz Pulse Generation in Underdense Relativistic Plasmas: From Photoionization-Induced Radiation to Coherent Transition Radiation

Terahertz to far-infrared emission by two-color, ultrashort optical pulses interacting with underdense helium gases at ultrahigh intensities (>10^{19}  W/cm^{2}) is investigated by means of 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The terahertz field is shown to be produced by two mechanisms occurring sequentially, namely, photoionization-induced radiation (PIR) by the two-color pulse, and coherent transition radiation (CTR) by the wakefield-accelerated electrons escaping the plasma. We exhibit laser-plasma parameters for which CTR proves to be the dominant process, providing terahertz bursts with field strength as high as 100  GV/m and energy in excess of 10 mJ. Analytical models are developed for both the PIR and CTR processes, which correctly reproduce the simulation data.

Charge separation and carrier dynamics in donor-acceptor heterojunction photovoltaic systems

Electron transfer and subsequent charge separation across donor-acceptor heterojunctions remain the most important areas of study in the field of third-generation photovoltaics. In this context, it is particularly important to unravel the dynamics of individual ultrafast processes (such as photoinduced electron transfer, carrier trapping and association, and energy transfer and relaxation), which prevail in materials and at their interfaces. In the frame of the National Center of Competence in Research "Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology," a research instrument of the Swiss National Science Foundation, several groups active in the field of ultrafast science in Switzerland have applied a number of complementary experimental techniques and computational simulation tools to scrutinize these critical photophysical phenomena. Structural, electronic, and transport properties of the materials and the detailed mechanisms of photoinduced charge separation in dye-sensitized solar cells, conjugated polymer- and small molecule-based organic photovoltaics, and high-efficiency lead halide perovskite solar energy converters have been scrutinized. Results yielded more than thirty research articles, an overview of which is provided here.

Terahertz induced optical birefringence in polar and nonpolar liquids

The terahertz induced optical birefringence in liquids with polar (acetone, chloroform) and nonpolar (benzene, carbon tetrachloride) molecules has been investigated. Fast and slow responses were extracted from the experimental data and compared with previous studies of the femtosecond optical Kerr effect. Terahertz Kerr constants were found and compared with known DC and optical constants. Analysis of the results obtained showed that, in contrast to the optical excitation, the interaction of a permanent dipole moment of molecules with a THz field makes a significant contribution to the transient birefringence and Kerr constants. This conclusion fully agrees with the direct comparison of the femtosecond optical and THz Kerr effects reported by Sajadi et al. [Nat. Commun. 8, 14963 (2017)].

Simulating electric field interactions with polar molecules using spectroscopic databases

Ro-vibrational Stark-associated phenomena of small polyatomic molecules are modelled using extensive spectroscopic data generated as part of the ExoMol project. The external field Hamiltonian is built from the computed ro-vibrational line list of the molecule in question. The Hamiltonian we propose is general and suitable for any polar molecule in the presence of an electric field. By exploiting precomputed data, the often prohibitively expensive computations associated with high accuracy simulations of molecule-field interactions are avoided. Applications to strong terahertz field-induced ro-vibrational dynamics of PH₃ and NH₃, and spontaneous emission data for optoelectrical Sisyphus cooling of H₂CO and CH₃Cl are discussed.

THz streak camera method for synchronous arrival time measurement of two-color hard X-ray FEL pulses

The two-color operation of free electron laser (FEL) facilities allows the delivery of two FEL pulses with different energies, which opens new possibilities for user experiments. Measuring the arrival time of both FEL pulses relative to the external experimental laser and to each other improves the temporal resolution of the experiments using the two-color FEL beam and helps to monitor the performance of the machine itself. This work reports on the first simultaneous measurement of the arrival times of two hard X-ray FEL pulses with the THz streak camera. Measuring the arrival time of the two FEL pulses, the relative delay between them was calculated and compared to the set values. Furthermore, we present the first comparison of the THz streak camera method to the method of FEL induced transient transmission. The results indicate a good agreement between the two methods.

Theory of terahertz emission from femtosecond-laser-induced microplasmas

We present a theoretical investigation of terahertz (THz) generation in laser-induced gas plasmas. The work is strongly motivated by recent experimental results on microplasmas, but our general findings are not limited to such a configuration. The electrons and ions are created by tunnel ionization of neutral atoms, and the resulting plasma is heated by collisions. Electrons are driven by electromagnetic, convective, and diffusive sources and produce a macroscopic current which is responsible for THz emission. The model naturally includes both ionization current and transition-Cherenkov mechanisms for THz emission, which are usually investigated separately in the literature. The latter mechanism is shown to dominate for single-color multicycle laser pulses, where the observed THz radiation originates from longitudinal electron currents. However, we find that the often discussed oscillations at the plasma frequency do not contribute to the THz emission spectrum. In order to predict the scaling of the conversion efficiency with pulse energy and focusing conditions, we propose a simplified description that is in excellent agreement with rigorous particle-in-cell simulations.

Increased impedance near cut-off in plasma-like media leading to emission of high-power, narrow-bandwidth radiation

Ultra-intense, narrow-bandwidth, electromagnetic pulses have become important tools for exploring the characteristics of matter. Modern tuneable high-power light sources, such as free-electron lasers and vacuum tubes, rely on bunching of relativistic or near-relativistic electrons in vacuum. Here we present a fundamentally different method for producing narrow-bandwidth radiation from a broad spectral bandwidth current source, which takes advantage of the inflated radiation impedance close to cut-off in a medium with a plasma-like permittivity. We find that by embedding a current source in this cut-off region, more than an order of magnitude enhancement of the radiation intensity is obtained compared with emission directly into free space. The method suggests a simple and general way to flexibly use broadband current sources to produce broad or narrow bandwidth pulses. As an example, we demonstrate, using particle-in-cell simulations, enhanced monochromatic emission of terahertz radiation using a two-colour pumped current source enclosed by a tapered waveguide.

Low frequency piezoresonance defined dynamic control of terahertz wave propagation

Phase modulators are one of the key components of many applications in electromagnetic and opto-electric wave propagations. Phase-shifters play an integral role in communications, imaging and in coherent material excitations. In order to realize the terahertz (THz) electromagnetic spectrum as a fully-functional bandwidth, the development of a family of efficient THz phase modulators is needed. Although there have been quite a few attempts to implement THz phase modulators based on quantum-well structures, liquid crystals, or meta-materials, significantly improved sensitivity and dynamic control for phase modulation, as we believe can be enabled by piezoelectric-resonance devices, is yet to be investigated. In this article we provide an experimental demonstration of phase modulation of THz beam by operating a ferroelectric single crystal LiNbO₃ film device at the piezo-resonance. The piezo-resonance, excited by an external a.c. electric field, develops a coupling between electromagnetic and lattice-wave and this coupling governs the wave propagation of the incident THz beam by modulating its phase transfer function. We report the understanding developed in this work can facilitate the design and fabrication of a family of resonance-defined highly sensitive and extremely low energy sub-millimeter wave sensors and modulators.

The SwissFEL Experimental Laser facility

The hard X-ray laser SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute is currently being commissioned and will soon become available for users. In the current article the laser facility is presented, an integral part of the user facility, as most time-resolved experiments will require a versatile optical laser infrastructure and precise information about the relative delay between the X-ray and optical pulse. The important key parameters are a high availability and long-term stability while providing advanced laser performance in the wavelength range from ultraviolet to terahertz. The concept of integrating a Ti:sapphire laser amplifier system with subsequent frequency conversion stages and drift compensation into the SwissFEL facility environment for successful 24 h/7 d user operation is described.

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.

Terahertz radiation driven by two-color laser pulses at near-relativistic intensities: Competition between photoionization and wakefield effects

We numerically investigate terahertz (THz) pulse generation by linearly-polarized, two-color femtosecond laser pulses in highly-ionized argon. Major processes consist of tunneling photoionization and ponderomotive forces associated with transverse and longitudinal field excitations. By means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we reveal the importance of photocurrent mechanisms besides transverse and longitudinal plasma waves for laser intensities >10¹⁵ W/cm². We demonstrate the following. (i) With two-color pulses, photoionization prevails in the generation of GV/m THz fields up to 10¹⁷ W/cm² laser intensities and suddenly loses efficiency near the relativistic threshold, as the outermost electron shell of ionized Ar atoms has been fully depleted. (ii) PIC results can be explained by a one-dimensional Maxwell-fluid model and its semi-analytical solutions, offering the first unified description of the main THz sources created in plasmas. (iii) The THz power emitted outside the plasma channel mostly originates from the transverse currents.

THz emission from organic cocrystalline salt: 2, 6-diaminopyridinium-4-nitrophenolate-4-nitrophenol

We report few-cycle THz pulses emission from a novel organic crystal 2,6-diaminopyridinium-4-nitrophenolate-4-nitrophenol (DAP⁺NP^-NP). The observed amplitude of the THz electric field from a DAP⁺NP^-NP crystal is comparable with that from a ZnTe single crystal under the same optical pumping conditions. Both the waveform and spectra of the THz radiation from DAP⁺NP^-NP are similar to those from ZnTe. We conclude that a high quality DAP⁺NP^-NP crystal would be a high potential candidate in THz generation and applications.

THz generation using a reflective stair-step echelon

We present a novel method for THz generation in lithium niobate using a reflective stair-step echelon structure. The echelon produces a discretely tilted pulse front with less angular dispersion compared to a high groove-density grating. The THz output was characterized using both a 1-lens and 3-lens imaging system to set the tilt angle at room and cryogenic temperatures. Using broadband 800 nm pulses with a pulse energy of 0.95 mJ and a pulse duration of 70 fs (24 nm FWHM bandwidth, 39 fs transform limited width), we produced THz pulses with field strengths as high as 500 kV/cm and pulse energies as high as 3.1 μJ. The highest conversion efficiency we obtained was 0.33%. In addition, we find that the echelon is easily implemented into an experimental setup for quick alignment and optimization.

Fast water channeling across carbon nanotubes in far infrared terahertz electric fields

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate systematically the water permeation properties across single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in the presence of the terahertz electric field (TEF). With the TEF normal to the nanotube, the fracture of the hydrogen bonds results in the giant peak of net fluxes across the SWCNT with a three-fold enhancement centered around 14 THz. The phenomenon is attributed to the resonant mechanisms, characterized by librational, rotational, and rotation-induced responses of in-tube polar water molecules to the TEF. For the TEF along the symmetry axis of the nanotube, the vortical modes for resonances and consequently the enhancement of net fluxes are greatly suppressed by the alignment of polar water along the symmetry axis, which characterizes the quasi one-dimensional feature of the SWCNT nicely. The resonances of water molecules in the TEF can have potential applications in the high-flux device designs used for various purposes.

Optimization of terahertz generation from LiNbO3 under intense laser excitation with the effect of three-photon absorption

We proposed a three-dimensional model to simulate terahertz generation from LiNbO₃ crystal under intense laser excition (up to ~50 mJ/cm²). The impact of three-photon absorption, which leads to free carrier generation and free carrier saturation (when pump fluence above ~10 mJ/cm²) on terahertz generation was investigated. And further with this model, we stated the optimized experimental conditions (incident postion, beam diameter, and pulse duration, etc) for maximum generation efficiency in commonly-used tilted-pulse-front scheme. Red shift of spectrum, spatial distribution "splitting" effects of emitted THz beam, and primilary experimental verification under intense laser excitation are given.

High-power THz to IR emission by femtosecond laser irradiation of random 2D metallic nanostructures

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopic sensing and imaging has identified its potentials in a number of areas such as standoff security screening at portals, explosive detection at battle fields, bio-medical research, and so on. With these needs, the development of an intense and broadband THz source has been a focus of THz research. In this work, we report an intense (~10 mW) and ultra-broadband (~150 THz) THz to infrared (IR) source with a Gaussian wavefront, emitted from nano-pore-structured metallic thin films with femtosecond laser pulse excitation. The underlying mechanism has been proposed as thermal radiation. In addition, an intense coherent THz signal was generated through the optical rectification process simultaneously with the strong thermal signal. This unique feature opens up new avenues in biomedical research.

Yb:YAG thin-disk chirped pulse amplification laser system for intense terahertz pulse generation

We have developed a 1 kHz repetition picosecond laser system dedicated for intense terahertz (THz) pulse generation. The system comprises a chirped pulse amplification laser equipped with a Yb:YAG thin-disk amplifier. At room temperature, the Yb:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier provides pulses having energy of over 10 mJ and spectral bandwidth of 1.2 nm. The pulse duration achieved after passage through a diffraction grating pair compressor was 1.3 ps. By employing this picosecond laser as a pump source, THz pulses having a peak frequency of 0.3 THz and 4 µJ of energy were generated by means of optical rectification in an Mg-doped LiNbO₃ crystal.

Giant and tunable electric field enhancement in the terahertz regime

A novel array of slits design combining the nano-slit grating and dielectric-metal is proposed to obtain giant and tunable electric field enhancement in the terahertz regime. The maximum amplitude of electric field is more than 6000 times larger than that of the incident electric field. It is found that the enhancement depends primarily on the stripe and nano-slits width of grating, as well as the thickness of spacer layer. This property is particularly beneficial for the realization of ultra-sensitive nanoparticles detection and nonlinear optics in the terahertz range, such as the second harmonic generation (SHG).

Efficient generation of THz pulses with 0.4 mJ energy

Efficient generation of THz pulses with high energy was demonstrated by optical rectification of 785-fs laser pulses in lithium niobate using tilted-pulse-front pumping. The enhancement of conversion efficiency by a factor of 2.4 to 2.7 was demonstrated up to 186 μJ THz energy by cryogenic cooling of the generating crystal and using up to 18.5 mJ/cm2 pump fluence. Generation of THz pulses with more than 0.4 mJ energy and 0.77% efficiency was demonstrated even at room temperature by increasing the pump fluence to 186 mJ/cm2. The spectral peak is at about 0.2 THz, suitable for charged-particle manipulation.

Role of resonance absorption in terahertz radiation generation from solid targets

The interaction of 100-fs laser pulses with solid targets at laser intensities 10(16)-10(18)W/cm(2) has been investigated experimentally by simultaneous measurements of terahertz (THz) and second harmonic signals. THz yield at the front side of the target, which rises from the self-organized transient electron currents along the target surface, is found scaling linearly with the laser intensity basically. Measurements of specularly reflected light spectrum show clear evidence of resonance absorption. The positive effects of resonance absorption on surface current and THz radiation generation have been confirmed by two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and angular-dependent experiments, respectively.

Pump pulse width and temperature effects in lithium niobate for efficient THz generation

We present a study on THz generation in lithium niobate pumped by a powerful and versatile Yb:CaF(2) laser. The unique laser system delivers transform-limited pulses of variable duration (0.38-0.65 ps) with pulse energies up to 15 mJ and center wavelength of 1030 nm. From previous theoretical investigations, it is expected that such laser parameters are ideally suited for efficient THz generation. Here, we present experimental results on both the conversion efficiency and the THz spectral shape for variable pump pulse durations and for different crystal temperatures, down to 25 K. We experimentally verify the optimum pump parameters for the most efficient and broadband THz generation.

Characterization of 700 μJ T rays generated during high-power laser solid interaction

Laser-produced solid density plasmas are well-known as table-top sources of electromagnetic radiation. Recent studies have shown that energetic broadband terahertz pulses (T rays) can also be generated from laser-driven compact ion accelerators. Here we report the measurement of record-breaking T-Ray pulses with energies no less than 0.7 mJ. The terahertz spectrum has been characterized for frequencies ranging from 0.1-133 THz. The dependence of T-Ray yield on incident laser energy is linear and shows no tendencies of saturation. The noncollinear emission pattern and the high yield reveal that the T rays are generated by the transient field at the rear surface of the solid target.

Observation of gigawatt-class THz pulses from a compact laser-driven particle accelerator

We report the observation of subpicosecond terahertz (T-ray) pulses with energies ≥460 μJ from a laser-driven ion accelerator, thus rendering the peak power of the source higher even than that of state-of-the-art synchrotrons. Experiments were performed with intense laser pulses (up to 5×10(19) W/cm(2)) to irradiate thin metal foil targets. Ion spectra measured simultaneously showed a square law dependence of the T-ray yield on particle number. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show the presence of transient currents at the target rear surface which could be responsible for the strong T-ray emission.

A magnetic non-reciprocal isolator for broadband terahertz operation

A Faraday isolator is an electromagnetic non-reciprocal device, a key element in photonics. It is required to shield electromagnetic sources against the effect of back-reflected light, as well as to limit the detrimental effect of back-propagating spontaneous emissions. A common isolator variant, the circulator, is widely used to obtain a complete separation between forward- and backward-propagating waves, thus enabling the realization of a desired transfer function in reflection only. Here we demonstrate a non-reciprocal terahertz Faraday isolator, operating on a bandwidth exceeding one decade of frequency, a necessary requirement to achieve isolation with the (few-cycle) pulses generated by broadband sources. The exploited medium allows a broadband rotation, up to 194°/T, obtained using a SrFe₁₂O₁₉ terahertz-transparent permanent magnet. This in turn enables the design of a stand-alone complete terahertz isolator without resorting to an external magnetic field bias, as opposed to all the optical isolators realized so far.

Faraday isolators prevent back reflection of light through photonic systems, and are widespread at optical frequencies. Shalaby et al. show that the permanent magnet SrFe₁₂O₁₉ can be used to generate a broadband rotation with low dispersion, and build an isolator suitable for short terahertz pulses.

Optimization of single-cycle terahertz generation in LiNbO3 for sub-50 femtosecond pump pulses

We compare different tilted-pulse-front pumping schemes for single-cycle THz generation in LiNbO(3) crystals both theoretically and experimentally in terms of conversion efficiency. The conventional setup with a single lens as an imaging element has been found to be highly inefficient in the case of sub-50 fs pump pulses, mainly due to the resulting chromatic aberrations. These aberrations are avoided in the proposed new setup, which employs two concave mirrors in a Keplerian telescope arrangement as the imaging sequence. This partially compensates spherical aberrations and results in a ca. six times higher conversion efficiency in the case of 35-fs optical pump pulse duration compared to the single-lens setup. A THz field strength of 60 kV/cm was obtained using 0.5 mJ pump pulses. The divergence of the THz beam has been found experimentally to depend on the pump imaging scheme employed.

Terahertz difference-frequency generation by tilted amplitude front excitation

To circumvent a velocity mismatch between optical pump and terahertz waves in electro-optic crystals, we propose to use dual-wavelength optical beams tilted with respect to their planes of equal amplitude. The tilt is achieved by transmission of a dual-wavelength laser beam through a diffraction grating placed on the crystal boundary. The proposed technique extends optical rectification of tilted-front femtosecond laser pulses to difference-frequency generation with longer (nanosecond) pulses. Our analysis of the technique for LiNbO(3) pumped at 1.3 μm and GaAs pumped at 1.55 μm shows its efficiency.

Terahertz generation in quasi-phase-matching structure formed by a phase mask

It is theoretically shown that application of a phase mask in optical rectification scheme is equivalent to spatial modulation of the crystal's nonlinear coefficient in cross-section plane of the laser beam. It allows using the technique of quasi-phase-matching for efficient noncollinear terahertz (THz) generation by using high-power wide-aperture optical beam. According to calculations, the linewidth of THz generation can be varied from 10 GHz to a few THz by changing the optical beam size. It is shown that the frequency of THz generation can be also tuned by building the image of the phase mask in the crystal with variable magnification.

Carrier density dependence of the nonlinear absorption of intense THz radiation in GaAs

We study the carrier density dependence of nonlinear terahertz (THz) absorption due to field-induced intervalley scattering in photoexcited GaAs using the optical-pump/THz-probe technique. The intervalley scattering in GaAs is strongly dependent on the photo-carrier density. As the carrier density is increased from 1 × 10(17) to 4.7 × 10(17) cm(-3), the nonlinear absorption bleaching increases. However, if the carrier density is increased further above 4.7 × 10(17) cm(-3), the trend reverses and the bleaching is reduced. The initial increase in absorption bleaching is because, unlike low THz field, high THz field experiences intervalley scattering and nonparabolicity of the conduction band. On the other hand, a simple electron transport model shows that the reduction in intervalley scattering is mainly due to the increase in the electron-hole scattering rate with the increase in the carrier density. This increase in the electron-hole scattering rate limits the maximum kinetic energy attainable by the electrons and thus reduces the observed nonlinear absorption.

Effects of laser-plasma interactions on terahertz radiation from solid targets irradiated by ultrashort intense laser pulses

Interactions of 100-fs laser pulses with solid targets at intensities of 10(18) W/cm(2) and resultant terahertz (THz) radiation are studied under different laser contrast ratio conditions. THz emission is measured in the specular reflection direction, which appears to decrease as the laser contrast ratio varies from 10(-8) to 10(-6). Correspondingly, the frequency spectra of the reflected light are observed changing from second harmonic dominant, three-halves harmonic dominant, to vanishing of both harmonics. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation also suggests that this observation is correlated with the plasma density scale length change. The results demonstrate that the THz emission is closely related to the laser-plasma interaction processes. The emission is strong when resonance absorption is a key feature of the interaction, and becomes much weaker when parametric instabilities dominate.

Towards generation of mJ-level ultrashort THz pulses by optical rectification

Optical rectification of ultrashort laser pulses in LiNbO3 by tilted-pulse-front excitation is a powerful way to generate near single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses. Calculations were carried out to optimize the output THz peak electric field strength. The results predict peak electric field strengths on the MV/cm level in the 0.3-1.5 THz frequency range by using optimal pump pulse duration of about 500 fs, optimal crystal length, and cryogenic temperatures for reducing THz absorption in LiNbO3. The THz electric field strength can be increased further to tens of MV/cm by focusing. Using optimal conditions together with the contact grating technique THz pulses with 100 MV/cm focused electric field strength and energies on the tens-of-mJ scale are feasible.

THz pulse shaping and improved optical-to-THz conversion efficiency using a binary phase mask

We demonstrate improved optical-to-terahertz (THz) conversion efficiency and THz pulse shaping from an interdigitated GaAs large area photoconductive antenna by using a binary phase mask. The binary phase mask results in a time-delayed excitation of the adjacent antennas, which allows subsequent antennas to produce an additive field, thus resulting in a quasi-single-cycle THz pulse. We demonstrate control over the temporal profile of the THz waveform to maximize optical-to-THz conversion efficiency.

Ultrafast spatiotemporal dynamics of terahertz generation by ionizing two-color femtosecond pulses in gases

We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of spatiotemporal propagation effects in terahertz (THz) generation in gases using two-color ionizing laser pulses. The observed strong broadening of the THz spectra with increasing gas pressure reveals the prominent role of spatiotemporal reshaping and of a plasma-induced blueshift of the pump pulses in the generation process. Results obtained from (3+1)-dimensional simulations are in good agreement with experimental findings and clarify the mechanisms responsible for THz emission.

Design of high-energy terahertz sources based on optical rectification

Detailed analysis of the tilted-pulse-front pumping scheme used for ultrashort THz pulse generation by optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses is presented. It is shown that imaging errors in a pulse-front-tilting setup consisting of a grating and a lens can lead to a THz beam with strongly asymmetric intensity profile and strong divergence, thereby limiting applications. Optimized setup parameters are given to reduce such distortions. We also show that semiconductors can offer a promising alternative to LiNbO(3) in high-energy THz pulse generation when pumped at longer wavelengths. This requires tilted-pulse-front pumping, however the small tilt angles allow semiconductors to be easily used in such schemes. Semiconductors can be advantageous for generating THz pulses with high spectral intensity at higher THz frequencies, while LiNbO(3) is better suited to generate THz pulses with very large relative spectral width. By using optimized schemes the upscaling of the energy of ultrashort THz pulses is foreseen.

Single-shot measurement of terahertz temporal waveform using pulse-front tilting by a direct vision dispersion prism

We demonstrated a single-shot measurement of terahertz temporal waveform using pulse-front tilting by a direct vision dispersion prism (DVDP). An advantage of this technique is the simplicity with which an electro-optic terahertz imaging optical system can be changed into a single-shot measurement system by inserting a DVDP in the probe beam path. In this technique, control of the angle of pulse-front tilting is very important. We precisely designed DVDP and measured the angle of the pulse-front tilting by interference measurement. We obtained a terahertz temporal waveform with a single shot with a time window of 3.2 ps.

Terahertz pulse induced intervalley scattering in photoexcited GaAs

Nonlinear transient absorption bleaching of intense few-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses is observed in photoexcited GaAs using opticalpump--THz-probe techniques. A simple model of the electron transport dynamics shows that the observed nonlinear response is due to THz-electric- field-induced intervalley scattering over sub-picosecond time scales as well as an increase in the intravalley scattering rate attributed to carrier heating. Furthermore, the nonlinear nature of the THz pulse transmission at high peak fields leads to a measured terahertz conductivity in the photoexcited GaAs that deviates significantly from the Drude behavior observed at low THz fields, emphasizing the need to explore nonlinear THz pulse interactions with materials in the time domain.

Improved terahertz two-color plasma sources pumped by high intensity laser beam

We investigate the intensity dependent spatial drift of two-color plasma based terahertz (THz) sources. A simple scheme that uses an off-axis parabolic mirror is presented to overcome this shifting. In addition, the THz energy and electric field measurements are related via the real time images of the THz spot size.

Highly efficient optical-to-terahertz conversion in a sandwich structure with LiNbO3 core

We demonstrate experimentally the efficiency of a recently proposed scheme of terahertz generation based on Cherenkov emission from ultrashort laser pulses in a sandwich structure. The structure has a thin nonlinear core covered with a prism of low terahertz absorption. Using an 8 mm long Si-LiNbO(3)-BK7 structure with a 50 microm thick LiNbO(3) core, we converted 40 microJ, 50 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses into terahertz pulses of approximately 3 THz bandwidth with a record efficiency of over 0.1%.