Open AccessCompact source of continuously and widely-tunable terahertz radiation.
Author(s) -
Tony Edwards,
D. Walsh,
M. B. Spurr,
Cameron F. Rae,
Malcolm H. Dunn,
P. G. Browne
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.14.001582
Subject(s) - optics , terahertz radiation , laser , nanosecond , radiation , materials science , optoelectronics , diode , energy conversion efficiency , broadband , bandwidth (computing) , physics , telecommunications , computer science
We report a THz radiation source based on the technique of non-collinear phasematched parametric generation. The source, which is compact and operable at room temperature, generates nanosecond pulses of peak power and energy greater than 1W and 5 nJ respectively. The radiation is continuously tunable over the range 1.2-3.05 THz and is of narrow spectral bandwidth (<100 GHz). The use of intersecting pump and parametric wave cavities results in threshold pump pulse energies below 1 mJ (from a Nd:YAG laser excited at 20 W, 500 microsec by a quasi-CW diode-laser) and close to 50% down-conversion efficiency when operated at twice threshold.