Skip to main content
Log in

Modelling Laser-Based Table-Top THz Sources: Optical Rectification, Propagation and Electro-Optic Sampling

  • Published:
Optical and Quantum Electronics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A model describing the generation of THz pulses by optical rectification and the detection of THz pulses by electro-optic sampling is presented. The model is comprehensive and mostly analytical: physical phenomena such as dispersion, group velocity mismatch, multiple reflections and diffraction are represented by one dimensional transfer functions. The model is compared with experimental results and shows good agreement with experiments. It is shown that including diffraction is crucial for retrieving the details of the THz spectrum.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Auston, D.H. and K.P. Cheung. Coherent time-domain far-infrared spectroscopy. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 2606-612, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auston, D.H., K.P. Cheung and P.R. Smith. Picosecond photoconducting Hertzian dipoles. Appl. Phys. Lett. 45 284-286, 1984b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakker, H.J., G.C. Cho, H. Kurz, Q. Wu and X.-C. Zhang. Distortion of terahertz pulses in electro-optic sampling. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 15, 1795-1801, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, M., P.A. Franken, J.F. Ward and G. Weinreich. Optical rectification. Phys. Rev. Lett. 9, 446-448, 1962.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beard, M.C., G.M. Turner and C.A. Schmuttenmaer. Progress towards two dimensional biomedical imaging with THz spectroscopy. Phys. Med. Biol. 47 3841-3846, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bethe, H.A. Theory of diffraction by small holes. Phys. Rev. 66 163-182, 1944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonvalet, A., M. Joffre, J.L. Martin and A. Migus. Generation of ultrabroadband femtosecond pulses in the mid-infrared by optical rectification of 15 fs light pulses at 100 MHz repetition rate. Appl. Phys. Lett. 67 2907-2909, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, G.D., and M.A. Pollack. Microwave nonlinearities in anisotropic dielectrics and their relation to optical and electro-optical nonlinearities. Phys. Rev. B 7 5345-5359, 1973.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, G.L., M.C. Martin, W.R. McKinney, K. Jordan, G.R. Neil and G.P. Williams. High-power terahertz radiation from relativistic electrons. Nature (London) 420 153-155, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Côté, D., J.E. Sipe and H.M. van Driel. Simple method for calculating the propagation of terahertz radiation in experimental geometries. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20 1374, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsaesser, T. and M. Woerner. Femtosecond infrared spectroscopy of semiconductors and semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures. Phys. Rep. 321 253-305, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallot, G. and D. Grischkowsky. Electro-optic detection of terahertz radiation. J. Opt. Soc.Am. B 161204-1212, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallot, G., J. Zhang, R.W. McGowan, T.-I. Jeon and D. Grischkowsky. Measurements of the THz absorption and dispersion of ZnTe and their relevance to the electro-optic detection of THz radiation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 74 3450-3452, 1999b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grischkowsky, D., S. Keiding, M. van Exter and Ch. Fattinger. Far-infrared time-domain spectroscopy with teraherz beams of dielectrics and semiconductors. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 7 2006-2015, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grischkowsky, D. Sensing with TeraHertz Radiation, ed. Mittleman D., Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Han, P.Y. and X.-C. Zhang. Coherent broadband midinfrared terahertz beam sensors. Appl. Phys. Lett. 73 3049-3051, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huber, R., A. Brodschelm, T. Tauser and A. Leitenstorfer. Generation and field-resolved detection of femtosecond electromagnetic pulses tunable up to 41 THz. Appl. Phys. Lett. 76 3191-3193, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huber, R., F. Tauser, A. Brodschelm, M. Bichler, G. Abstreiter and A. Leitenstorfer. How many-particle interactions develop after ultrafast excitation of an e-h plasma. Nature 414 286, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J.D. Classical Electrodynamics Wiley, New York, Chapter 7, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeon, T.-I. and D. Grischkowsky. Characterization of optically dense, doped semiconductors by reflection THz time domain spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. Lett. 72 3032-3034, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaindl, R.A., S. Lutgen, M. Woerner, T. Elsaesser, B. Notelmann, V.M. Axt, T. Kuhn, A. Hase and H. Künzel. Ultrafast dephasing of coherent intersubband polarizations in a quasi-two-dimensional electron plasma. Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 3575-3578, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaindl, R.A., F. Eickemeyer, M. Woerner and T. Elsaesser. Broadband phase-matched difference frequency mixing of femtosecond pulses in GaSe: experiment and theory. Appl. Phys. Lett. 75 1060-1062, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaindl, R.A., M.A. Carnahan, D.Hägele, R. Lövenich and D.S. Chemla. Ultrafast terahertz probes of transient conducting and insulating phases in an e-h gas. Nature 423 734, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katzenellenbogen, N. and D. Grischkowsky. Electrical characterization to 4 THz of N-and P-type GaAs using time-domain spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 840-842, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Y.-S., T. Meade, V. Perlin, H. Winful, T.B. Norris and A. Galvanauskas. Generation of narrow-band terahertz radiation via optical rectification of femtosecond pulses in periodically poled lithium niobate. Appl. Phys. Lett. 76 2505-2507, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leemans, W.P., C.G.R. Geddes, J. Faure, Cs. Tóth, J. van Tilborg, C.B. Schroeder, E. Esarey, G. Fubiani, D. Auerbach, B. Marcelis, M.A. Carnahan, R.A. Kaindl, J. Byrd, and M.C. Martin. Observation of THz emission from a laser-plasma accelerated electron bunch crossing a plasma-vacuum boundary. Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 74802, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leitenstorfer, A., S. Hunsche, J. Shah, M.C. Nuss and W.K. Knox. Detectors and sources for ultrabroadband electro-optic sampling: experiments and theory. Appl. Phys. Lett. 74 1516-1518, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marple, D.T.F., J. Appl. Phys. 25 539, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R.C., Appl. Phys. Lett. 5 17-19, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittleman, D.M., G. Gupta, R. Neelamani, R.G. Baraniuk, J.V. Rudd and M. Kosh. Recent advances in THz imaging. Appl. Phys. B 68 1085-1094, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahata, A., D.H. Auston, T.F. Heinz and C. Wu. Coherent detection of freely propagating terahertz radiation by electro-optic sampling. Appl. Phys. Lett. 68 150-152, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ralph, S.E. and D. Grischkowsky. THz spectroscopy and source characterization by optoelectronic interferometry. Appl. Phys. Lett. 60 1070-1072, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, A., Y. Jin, X.F. Ma, X.-C. Zhang, D. Bliss, J. Larkin and M. Alexander. Terahertz optical recti-fication from h110i zinc-blende crystals. Appl. Phys. Lett. 64 1324-1326, 1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruffin, A.B., J. Decker, L. Sanchez-Palencia, L. Le Hors, J.F. Whitaker and T.B. Norris. Time reversal and object reconstruction with single-cycle pulses. Opt. Lett. 26 681-683, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valdmanis, J. A., G. Mourou and C.W. Gabel. Picosecond electro-optic system. Appl. Phys. Lett. 41211-212, 1982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vodopyanov, K.L. and L.A. Kulevskii. New dispersion relationships for GaSe in the 0.65-18 lm spectral region. Opt. Comm. 118 375-358, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G.P. FAR-IR/THz radiation from the Jefferson Laboratory, energy recovered linac, free electron laser. Rev. Sci. Inst. 73 1461-1463, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Q., and X.-C. Zhang. Free-space electro-optic sampling of terahertz beams. Appl. Phys. Lett. 673523-3525, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Q., T.D. Hewitt and X.-C. Zhang. Two dimensional electro-optic imaging of THz beams. Appl. Phys. Lett. 69 1026-1028, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, L., X.-C. Zhang and D.H. Auston. Terahertz beam generation by femtosecond optical pulses in electro-optic materials. Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 1784-1786, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, J.Z. and X.-C. Zhang. Optical rectification in an area with a diameter comparable to or smaller than the center wavelength of terahertz radiation. Opt. Lett. 27 1067-1069, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X.-C., X.F. Ma, Y. Jin and T.-M. Lu. Terahertz optical rectification from a nonlinear organic crystal. Appl. Phys. Lett. 61 3080-3082, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Faure, J., Van Tilborg, J., Kaindl, R.A. et al. Modelling Laser-Based Table-Top THz Sources: Optical Rectification, Propagation and Electro-Optic Sampling. Optical and Quantum Electronics 36, 681–697 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:OQEL.0000039617.85129.c2

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:OQEL.0000039617.85129.c2

Navigation