Abstract-Terahertz optical properties of LBO crystal upon cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature

N A Nikolaev, Yu M Andreev, N G Kononova, A A Mamrashev, V D Antsygin, K A Kokh, A E Kokh, V F Losev, O I Potaturkin,

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1070/QEL16515/pdf


The anisotropy of optical properties of nonlinear lithium borate (LBO) crystals in the range of 0.2–2 THz is investigated by time-domain THz spectroscopy at room temperature and at T = 81 K. It is shown that the birefringence dramatically decreases upon cooling, as a result of which phase-matching conditions cannot be implemented. At the same time, the absorption coefficients αx and αyare found to decrease significantly with decreasing temperature, due to which the LBO crystal becomes a promising material for generating THz radiation via optical rectification and fabricating periodic structures and optical elements.