Table-top sources of ultrashort THz pulses

Abstract

In this paper techniques for the generation and measurement of ultrashort pulses in the frequency range from about 0.1 to 10 THz are reviewed. The methods for generation are restricted to table-top systems based on short-pulse lasers in the visible or in the near-infrared. Three techniques are dealt with in detail: photoconductive switches, difference frequency generation and plasma sources. Definitions and methods to measure the pulse width are given, among them cross-correlation and measurements of the electric field of these pulses as a function of time by photoconductive switches and electro-optic sampling.

Efficient metallic spintronic emitters of ultrabroadband terahertz radiation

“…This quantity is displayed in Fig. 2 Such behavior is highly counterintuitive and in sharp contrast to most phase-matched frequency conversion schemes such as optical rectification and second-harmonic generation 9 . Indeed, Eq.…”

“…The so far most promising sources covering the full THz window are photocurrents in transient gas plasmas 9,10,25,26,27,28,29 . The downside of this appealing approach is that the underlying ionization process usually requires amplified laser pulses with high threshold energies on the order of 0.1 mJ.…”

“…Sources made from solids usually consist of semiconducting or insulating structures with naturally or artificially broken inversion symmetry. When the incident photon energy is below the semiconductor band gap, optical rectification causes a charge displacement that follows the intensity envelope of the incident pump pulse 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 . For above-band-gap excitation, the response is dominated by a photocurrent 18,19,20,21,22,23,24 with a temporally step-like onset and, thus, generally smaller bandwidth than optical rectification 9 .…”

“…When the incident photon energy is below the semiconductor band gap, optical rectification causes a charge displacement that follows the intensity envelope of the incident pump pulse 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 . For above-band-gap excitation, the response is dominated by a photocurrent 18,19,20,21,22,23,24 with a temporally step-like onset and, thus, generally smaller bandwidth than optical rectification 9 . Apart from rare exceptions 14 , however, most semiconductors used are polar 1,2,12,13,15,16,17,21,22 and strongly attenuate THz radiation around optical phonon resonances, thereby preventing emission in the so-called Reststrahlen band located between ~1 and 15 THz.…”

“…For above-band-gap excitation, the response is dominated by a photocurrent 18,19,20,21,22,23,24 with a temporally step-like onset and, thus, generally smaller bandwidth than optical rectification 9 . Apart from rare exceptions 14 , however, most semiconductors used are polar 1,2,12,13,15,16,17,21,22 and strongly attenuate THz radiation around optical phonon resonances, thereby preventing emission in the so-called Reststrahlen band located between ~1 and 15 THz.The so far most promising sources covering the full THz window are photocurrents in transient gas plasmas 9,10,25,26,27,28,29 . The downside of this appealing approach is that the underlying ionization process usually requires amplified laser pulses with high threshold energies on the order of 0.1 mJ.…”