Single-cycle terahertz pulses with amplitudes exceeding 1 MV/cm generated by optical rectification in LiNbO3 and applications to nonlinear optics

Hideki Hirori; Koichiro Tanaka

doi:10.1117/12.910063

15 February 2012 Single-cycle terahertz pulses with amplitudes exceeding 1 MV/cm generated by optical rectification in LiNbO₃ and applications to nonlinear optics

Hideki Hirori, Koichiro Tanaka

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8240, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications XI; 82400B (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.910063
Event: SPIE LASE, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Using a tilted-pump-pulse-front scheme, we generate single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses by optical rectification of femtosecond laser pulses in LiNbO₃. In our THz generation setup, to obtain optimal THz beam characteristics and pumpto- THz conversion efficiency the condition that an image of a grating coincides with a tilted-optical-pulse front is fulfilled. Generated THz pulses have spectra centered at around 1 THz. A designed focusing geometry enables tight focus of the THz beam with a spot size close to the diffraction limit, and the maximum THz electric field of 1.2 MV/cm is obtained. In addition, the nonlinear interactions of GaAs quantum wells with the intense THz pulses have been studied. Here we show that the intense THz pulse, unlike a DC bias, can generate a substantial number of electron-hole pairs forming excitons that emit near-infrared luminescence. The bright luminescence associated with carrier multiplication suggests that the carriers coherently driven by a strong field can efficiently gain enough kinetic energy to induce a series of impact ionizations, which we demonstrate can increase the number of carriers by about three orders of magnitude on picosecond timescale.

Citation Download Citation

Hideki Hirori and Koichiro Tanaka "Single-cycle terahertz pulses with amplitudes exceeding 1 MV/cm generated by optical rectification in LiNbO₃ and applications to nonlinear optics", Proc. SPIE 8240, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications XI, 82400B (15 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.910063

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