Abstract-Terahertz emission from laser-driven gas plasmas: a plasmonic point of view

I. Thiele, B. Zhou, A. Nguyen, E. Smetanina, R. Nuter, K. J. Kaltenecker, P. González de Alaiza Martínez, J. Déchard, L. Bergé, P. U. Jepsen, and S. Skupin

Fig. 1. Illustrated configurations of THz emission from an ellipsoidal plasma induced by a 2C Gaussian laser pulse (FH in red, SH in purple) with strongly elliptical beam shape propagating along 𝑧$z$. The laser electric field is (a) 𝑦$y$-polarized (along the long axis of the elliptical beam) and (b) 𝑥$x$-polarized (along the short axis of the elliptical beam). The plasma is sketched as a blue tri-axial ellipsoid, and its projections are shown in the respective planes. Experimentally measured forward-emitted THz pulses are presented as white lines, demonstrating a significantly shorter pulse duration for an 𝑥$x$-polarized pulse, which can be attributed to triggering a plasmonic resonance (see Section 3 for details).

https://www.osapublishing.org/optica/abstract.cfm?uri=optica-5-12-1617

We disclose an unanticipated link between plasmonics and nonlinear frequency down-conversion in laser-induced gas-plasmas. For two-color femtosecond pump pulses, a plasmonic resonance is shown to broaden the terahertz emission spectra significantly. We identify the resonance as a leaky mode, which contributes to the emission spectra whenever electrons are excited along a direction where the plasma size is smaller than the plasma wavelength. As a direct consequence, such resonances can be controlled by changing the polarization properties of elliptically shaped driving laser pulses. Both experimental results and 3D Maxwell consistent simulations confirm that a significant terahertz pulse shortening and spectral broadening can be achieved by exploiting the transverse driving laser beam shape as an additional degree of freedom.

© 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Abstract-Terahertz emission from laser-driven gas-plasmas: a plasmonic point of view

I. Thiele, B. Zhou, A. Nguyen, E. Smetanina, R. Nuter, P. González de Alaiza Martínez, K. J. Kaltenecker, J. Déchard, L. Bergé, P. U. Jepsen, S. Skupin

https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.06889

We investigate terahertz generation in two-color laser-induced gas plasmas. Resonances attributed to plasmonic effects are shown to broaden the emission spectra significantly, when electrons are excited along a direction where the plasma size is smaller than the plasma wavelength. We demonstrate that such resonances can be turned on and off by changing the polarization properties of elliptically-shaped driving laser-pulses. Both 3D Maxwell consistent simulations and experimental results confirm that a significant THz pulse shortening and spectral broadening can be achieved by exploiting the transverse driving laser-beam shape as an additional degree of freedom.

Abstract-Spectral dynamics of THz pulses generated by two-color laser filaments in air: the role of Kerr nonlinearities and pump wavelength

A. Nguyen, P. González de Alaiza Martínez, J. Déchard, I. Thiele, I. Babushkin, S. Skupin,  L. Bergé,

https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-25-5-4720

We theoretically and numerically study the influence of both instantaneous and Raman-delayed Kerr nonlinearities as well as a long-wavelength pump in the terahertz (THz) emissions produced by two-color femtosecond filaments in air. Although the Raman-delayed nonlinearity induced by air molecules weakens THz generation, four-wave mixing is found to impact the THz spectra accumulated upon propagation via self-, cross-phase modulations and self-steepening. Besides, using the local current theory, we show that the scaling of laser-to-THz conversion efficiency with the fundamental laser wavelength strongly depends on the relative phase between the two colors, the pulse duration and shape, rendering a universal scaling law impossible. Scaling laws in powers of the pump wavelength may only provide a rough estimate of the increase in the THz yield. We confront these results with comprehensive numerical simulations of strongly focused pulses and of filaments propagating over meter-range distances.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article

Abstract-Boosting Terahertz Generation in Laser-Field Ionized Gases Using a Sawtooth Wave Shape

P. González de Alaiza Martínez, I. Babushkin, L. Bergé, S. Skupin, E. Cabrera-Granado, C. Köhler, U. Morgner, A. Husakou, and J. Herrmann

Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 183901 – Published 6 May 2015

http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.183901

Broadband ultrashort terahertz (THz) pulses can be produced using plasma generation in a noble gas ionized by femtosecond two-color pulses. Here we demonstrate that, by using multiple-frequency laser pulses, one can obtain a waveform which optimizes the free electron trajectories in such a way that they acquire the largest drift velocity. This allows us to increase the THz conversion efficiency to 2%, an unprecedented performance for THz generation in gases. In addition to the analytical study of THz generation using a local current model, we perform comprehensive 3D simulations accounting for propagation effects which confirm this prediction. Our results show that THz conversion via tunnel ionization can be greatly improved with well-designed multicolor pulses.

• 
• 
• 

Abstract-Multiple ionization events that non-monotonically increase laser-driven THz emissions

A. Debayle, P. González de Alaiza Martínez, L. Gremillet, and L. Bergé

https://journals.aps.org/pra/accepted/db073Ya2M8f1304801a5128200fd1e10a4fcaf694

Highly-charged states created through multiple ionization of gases are shown to enhance THz generation by intense, single- or two-color femtosecond laser pulses. A one-dimensional, non-propagating fluid model reveals the main conversion processes up to 1017\,\mathrm{Wcm}-2 laser intensities, namely, ionization-induced photocurrents and plasma current oscillations. For increasing intensities, we demonstrate a cyclic growth in the THz signal associated with the different binding energies of argon and helium. This behavior is confirmed by direct particle-in-cell and unidirectional pulse propagation simulations. Changes in the forward and backward THz spectra owing to multiple ionization are discussed.

Abstract-Boosting terahertz generation in laser-field ionized gases using a sawtooth wave shape

P. González de Alaiza Martínez, I. Babushkin, L. Bergé, S. Skupin, E. Cabrera-Granado, C. Köhler, U. Morgner, A. Husakou, J. Herrmann

(Submitted on 16 Dec 2014)

http://arxiv-web3.library.cornell.edu/abs/1412.4995

Broadband ultrashort terahertz (THz) pulses can be produced using plasma generation in a noble gas ionized by femtosecond two-color pulses. Here we demonstrate that, by using multiple-frequency laser pulses, one can obtain a waveform which optimizes the free electron trajectories in such a way that they reach the highest velocity at the electric field extrema. This allows to increase the THz conversion efficiency to the percent level, an unprecedented performance for THz generation in gases. Besides the analytical study of THz generation using a local current model, we perform comprehensive 3D simulations accounting for propagation effects which confirm this prediction. Our results show that THz conversion via tunnel ionization can be greatly improved with well-designed multicolor pulses.