Design of a multistep phase mask for high-energy THz pulse generation in ZnTe crystal

Yuri H. Avetisyan; Armen Makaryan; Vahe Tadevosyan

doi:10.1117/12.2277388

23 August 2017 Design of a multistep phase mask for high-energy THz pulse generation in ZnTe crystal

Yuri H. Avetisyan, Armen Makaryan, Vahe Tadevosyan

Proceedings Volume 10383, Terahertz Emitters, Receivers, and Applications VIII; 103830A (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2277388
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2017, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A new scheme for generating high-energy terahertz (THz) pulses by optical rectification of tilted pulse front (TPF) femtosecond laser pulses in ZnTe crystal is proposed and analyzed. The TPF laser pulses are originated due to propagation through a multistep phase mask (MSPM) attached to the entrance surface of the nonlinear crystal. Similar to the case of contacting optical grating the necessity of the imaging optics is avoided. In addition, introduction of large amounts of angular dispersion is also eliminated. The operation principle is based on the fact that the MSPM splits a single input beam into many smaller time-delayed “beamlets”, which together form a discretely TPF in the nonlinear crystal. The dimensions of the mask’s steps required for high-energy THz-pulse generation in ZnTe and widely used lithium niobate (LN) crystals are calculated. The optimal number of steps is estimated taking into account individual beamlet’s spatial broadening and problems related to the mask fabrication. The THz field in no pump depletion approximation is analytically calculated using radiating antenna model. The analysis shows that application of ZnTe crystal allows obtaining higher THz-pulse energy than that of LN crystal, especially when long-wavelength pump sources are used. The proposed method is a promising way to develop high-energy, monolithic, and alignment-free THzpulse source.

Citation Download Citation

Yuri H. Avetisyan, Armen Makaryan, and Vahe Tadevosyan "Design of a multistep phase mask for high-energy THz pulse generation in ZnTe crystal", Proc. SPIE 10383, Terahertz Emitters, Receivers, and Applications VIII, 103830A (23 August 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2277388

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