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Terahertz Radiation from Two-Color Laser-Induced Gas Plasma Filament Under a Wide Range of Pressure

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Abstract

Terahertz radiation from two-color femtosecond laser-induced gas filament is investigated in a wide range of the ambient gas pressure from 0 to 606 kPa (i.e., 0–6 atm). We observed that the output energy of terahertz radiation first increased quickly to the strongest strength at the optimal pressure around 25 kPa then decreased gradually with increase of the gas pressure. We found a linear dependence of the time delay of the terahertz signals on increasing gas pressure under a wide range of gas pressure and nearly unchangeable plasma density profile of the filament in the high pressure range from ~ 50 kPa to 606 kPa if keeping the same pump laser energy. Our numerical simulation results reproducing the experimental dependence of decreasing terahertz strength on the increasing gas pressure in this high pressure range indicate that this dependence could be attributed mainly to the decreasing coupling of the two-color laser pulses in the plasma filament due to different changes of their propagating velocities in the ambient gas with increasing pressure. Our results would be helpful for understanding deeply the mechanism of terahertz radiation and remind a possible strategy for improvement of terahertz output under higher gas pressures and pumped by more laser energies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Profs. Zheng-Ming Sheng, Yu-Tong Li, Xin Lu, Wei-Ming. Wang, Ting-Ting Xi, Jun Zheng, Yan-Ping Chen, and Dr. Zhe-Lin Zhang for their fruitful discussion.

Funding

This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0701000) and partly the NSAF (Grant No. U2030119).

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W. Sheng performed all the experiment and data analyzing. X.-Y. Peng conceived and supervised the experiment, designed the experimental setup, and prepared the manuscript. K. Bai performed the simulation. M. Hu modified the manuscript. The manuscript was discussed and approved by all the authors.

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Correspondence to Xiao-Yu Peng.

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Sheng, W., Peng, XY., Bai, K. et al. Terahertz Radiation from Two-Color Laser-Induced Gas Plasma Filament Under a Wide Range of Pressure. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 44, 642–657 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-023-00935-0

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