Skip to main content
Log in

Angular distribution of terahertz emission from laser interactions with solid targets

  • Research Paper
  • Special Focus
  • Published:
Science China Information Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Intense femtosecond laser-plasma interactions can produce high power terahertz radiations. In our experiment, the polished copper target was irradiated by a p-polarized laser with intensity of more than 1018 W/cm2 at an incident angle of 67.5° from the target normal. The THz energy from three different detection angles is measured. The maximum emission is found in the direction at an angle of 45° to the laser backward direction, which is more than one order of magnitude higher than in the other two directions. A simple theoretical model has been established to explain the measurements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shi Y L, Yang Y P, Xu X L, et al. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in Au/GaAs interfaces studied by terahertz emission spectroscopy. Appl Phys Lett, 2006, 88: 161109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gaal P, Reimann K, Woerner M, et al. Nonlinear terahertz response of n-type GaAs. Phys Rev Lett, 2006, 96: 187402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Shen Y C, Upadhya P C, Linfield E H, et al. Temperature-dependent low-frequency vibrational spectra of purine and adenine. Appl Phys Lett, 2003, 82: 2350–2352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Siegel P H. Terahertz technology in biology and medicine. IEEE Trans Microw Theory Tech, 2004, 52: 2438–2447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hu B B, Nuss M C. Imaging with terahertz waves. Opt Lett, 1995, 20: 1716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Jepsen P U, Cooke D G, Koch M. Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging-modern techniques and applications. Laser Photon Rev, 2011, 5: 124–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Vanexter M, Fattinger C, Grischkowsky D. High-brightness terahertz beams characterized with an ultrafast detector. Appl Phys Lett, 1989, 55: 337–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhang X C, Hu B B, Darrow J T, et al. Generation of femtosecond electromagnetic pulses from semiconductor surfaces. Appl Phys Lett, 1990, 56: 1011–1013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gu P, Tani M, Kono S, et al. Study of terahertz radiation from InAs and InSb. J Appl Phys, 2002, 91, 5533–5537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Auston D H, Cheung K P, Valdmanis J, et al. Cherenkov radiation from femtosecond optical pulses in electro-optic media. Phys Rev Lett, 1984, 53: 1555–1558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Abo-Bakr M, Feikes J, Holldack K, et al. Steady-state far-infrared coherent synchrotron radiation detected at BESSY II. Phys Rev Lett, 2002, 88: 254801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Byrd J M, Hao Z, Martin M C, et al. Laser seeding of the storage-ring microbunching instability for high-power coherent terahertz radiation. Phys Rev Lett, 2006, 97: 074802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Shen Y, Watanabe T, Arena D A, et al. Nonlinear cross-phase modulation with intense single-cycle terahertz pulses. Phys Rev Lett, 2007, 99: 043901

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Jaroszynski D A, Bakker R J, Vandermeer A F G, et al. Coherent startup of an infrared free-electron laser. Phys Rev Lett, 1993, 71: 3798–3801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Takahashi T, Shibata Y, Ishi K, et al. Observation of coherent Cerenkov radiation from a solid dielectric with short bunches of electrons. Phys Rev E, 2000, 62: 8606–8611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Korbly S E, Kesar A S, Sirigiri J R, et al. Observation of frequency-locked coherent terahertz Smith-Purcell radiation. Phys Rev Lett, 2005, 94: 054803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Cook D J, Hochstrasser R M. Intense terahertz pulses by four-wave rectification in air. Opt Lett, 2000, 25: 1210–1212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Bartel T, Gaal P, Reimann K, et al. Generation of single-cycle THz transients with high electric-field amplitudes. Opt Lett, 2005, 30: 2805–2807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Xie X, Dai J M, Zhang X C. Coherent control of THz wave generation in ambient air. Phys Rev Lett, 2006, 96: 075005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Leemans W P, Geddes C G R, Faure J, et al. Observation of terahertz emission from a laser-plasma accelerated electron bunch crossing a plasma-vacuum boundary. Phys Rev Lett, 2003, 91: 074802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Hamster H, Sullivan A, Gordon S, et al. Subpicosecond, electromagnetic pulses from intense laser-plasma interaction. Phys Rev Lett, 1993, 71: 2725–2728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Li C, Zhou M L, Ding W J, et al. Effects of laser-plasma interactions on terahertz radiation from solid targets irradiated by ultrashort intense laser pulses. Phys Rev E, 2011, 84: 036405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Li Y T, Yuan X H, Xu M H, et al. Observation of a fast electron beam emitted along the surface of a target irradiated by intense femtosecond laser pulses. Phys Rev Lett, 2006, 96: 165003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Beg F N, Bell A R, Dangor A E, et al. A study of picosecond laser-solid interactions up to 10(19) W cm(−2). Phys Plasmas, 1997, 4: 447–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Wharton K B, Hatchett S P, Wilks S C, et al. Experimental measurements of hot electrons generated by ultraintense (>10(19) W/cm(2)) laser-plasma interactions on solid-density targets. Phys Rev Lett, 1998, 81: 822–825

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Amiranoff F. Fast electron production in ultra-short high-intensity laser-plasma interaction and its consequences. Meas Sci Technol, 2001, 12: 1795–1800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhang J, Li Y T, Sheng Z M, et al. Generation and propagation of hot electrons in laser-plasmas. Appl Phys B-Lasers Opt, 2005, 80: 957–971

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to YuTong Li or Jie Zhang.

Additional information

DU Fei was born in 1985. He is now a Ph.D. candidate of Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received the Bachelor degree in Physics from Shandong University in 2007. Currently, his research interests is in the generation of terahertz radiation from laser solid target interactons.

SHENG ZhengMing received the degree of Doctor of Science from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS, in 1993. During 1995–1998, he worked in the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, as a Humboldt research fellow and the postdoctoral fellow of Max-Planck Society. During 1998–2001 he worked in the Institute of Engineering, Osaka University as the JSPS fellow and researcher of the university. Since 2001 he has been working in the Institute of Physics, CAS, as senior research scientist. Currently he is also the Changjiang professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

LI YuTong is working at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His main research interests include fast electron generation and transport relevant to fast ignition of the Inertial Confinement Fusion, MeV proton and ion generation, strong THz generation, and laboratory astrophysics. From 2000 he and his collaborators have published over 100 papers. His research has been recognized by the Chinese State Council with the Natural Sciences Prize in 2006 and Chinese Physical Society with the Wang Gan Chang Prize in 2011.

ZHANG Jie received his Ph.D. degree in 1988 at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Then he joined the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantenoptik in Germany. In 1990–1998, he worked for the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the University of Oxford in the UK. Dr. Zhang was elected the President of Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS) and the member of the German Academy of Sciences Neopoldina in 2007; Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2003. He was given TWAS Prize in Physics in 2007; the Natural Sciences Prize in 2006; the Ho Leung Ho Lee award of the Science and Technology Progress Award in 2006; etc.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Du, F., Li, C., Zhou, M. et al. Angular distribution of terahertz emission from laser interactions with solid targets. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 55, 43–48 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-011-4491-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-011-4491-5

Keywords

Navigation