’09 TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY
Optical Manipulation of THz Wave Polariza-
tion in Two-Color Laser-Induced Gas Plasma
Jianming Dai, Nicholas Karpowicz
and X.-C. Zhang
R ecently, much scientific attention
has been paid to terahertz wave
generation during gas ionization pro-
(a)
(a) Label
cesses induced by a femtosecond pulse
and its second harmonic (ω and 2ω ω ω + 2ω
pulses). Such THz generation provides
ultra-broad bandwidth and high inten-
sity1-3 and has potential applications in
y axis
nonlinear THz spectroscopy and remote β-BB0 α-BB0 QW DWP Plasma THz
sensing and imaging.
The polarization of emitted THz waves (b) (c)
can be coherently controlled through
THz Intensity
THz Intensity
the relative phase between the ω and 2ω 1 1
pulses.4,5 Results show that emitted THz
waves are linearly polarized when the ω 0 x axis 0
and 2ω beams are both linearly polarized, Op 2 2 Op 2 2
ti c ti c
a lp
1 al p 1 1
and they are slightly elliptically polarized ha
1
le (π) ha ngle (π
)
s 00 r a ng se 0 0 izer a
when the ω and 2ω beams are circularly e(
π) Po larize (π) Polar
or elliptically polarized.
We used an in-line phase compensa- (a) The experimental setup. Inside the dashed line is the in-line phase compensator. β-BBO,
beta-barium borate crystal; α-BBO, alpha-barium borate crystal; QW, quartz wedges;
tor to precisely control the relative phase
DWP, dual-wavelength waveplate; red and blue arrows indicate polarization of the ω and 2ω
between the ω and 2ω pulses through beams, respectively. (b) THz intensity versus THz polarizer angle and the optical phase be-
translation of one wedge of the wedge tween the ω and 2ω pulses with right-handed circularly polarized ω pulse and with elliptically
pair.4 A dual-band waveplate (DWP) polarized 2ω pulse (with an ellipticity of about 1/11 in optical intensity). (c) THz intensity vs.
was used to control polarizations of the polarizer angle and optical phase between ω and 2ω pulses, when both ω and 2ω beams are
right-handed elliptically polarized with their ellipticities higher than 0.8 (i.e., ω and 2ω were
ω and 2ω beams. Additional quarter
close to circular polarization).
waveplates at 800 nm and/or 400 nm
were needed right after the DWP to
More important, when both ω and new feature to this novel THz source
further control polarization of the two
2ω beams were circularly polarized or and makes it possible to rapidly manip-
pulses. After the phase compensator, we
close to it, the THz polarization angle ulate the polarization of intense THz
focused the two beams into gases, gener-
could be rotated arbitrarily by changing waves. Therefore, it should enable
ating intense THz waves with peak THz
the phase between the two optical pulses, fast THz wave modulation and coher-
electric-fields higher than 100 kV/cm
with the THz amplitude kept constant. ent control of nonlinear responses
with a total laser pulse energy less than
When we plotted THz intensity vs. excited by intense THz waves with
600 µJ and pulse duration of 100 fs. We
polarizer angle and optical phase between controllable polarization.
used a broadband THz polarizer to ana-
lyze the polarization of the THz waves ω and 2ω pulses when both ω and 2ω Jianming Dai and X.-C. Zhang (zhangxc@[Link])
beams were right-handed elliptically po- are with the Center for THz Research, Rensselaer
and a pyroelectric detector to monitor Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., U.S.A. Nicholas
the transmitted THz power through the larized with their ellipticities both higher Karpowicz’s current address is the Max Planck
THz polarizer as it rotated. than 0.8 (i.e., ω and 2ω were close to Institute for Quantum Optics, Garching, Germany.
When we plotted THz intensity vs. circular polarization), broadband modu- References
polarizer angle and the optical phase be- lation of intense THz waves was possible 1. K.Y. Kim et al. Nature Photon. 2, 605 (2008).
2. N. Karpowicz and X.-C. Zhang. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102,
tween the ω and 2ω pulses when ω was without significant THz loss. 093001 (2009).
right-handed circularly polarized and the These results can be reproduced 3. A.A. Silaev and N.V. Vvedenskii. Phys. Rev. Lett. 102,
2ω beam was elliptically polarized, we by numerical simulation through the 115005 (2009).
4. J. Dai et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 023001 (2009).
found that, as the optical phase changed, quantum mechanical model presented 5. H. Wen and A. Lindenberg. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 023902
the THz polarization angle rotated. in previous work.2 Th is fi nding adds a (2009).
36 | OPN Optics & Photonics News [Link]
TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY ’09
Photonic Crystal THz Lasers with Controllable
Surface Emission Patterns
Y. Chassagneux, R. Colombelli, W. Maineult, S. Barbieri, H.E. Beere, D.A. Ritchie, S.P. Khanna,
E.H. Linfield and A.G. Davies
S emiconductor lasers based on (a) (b) 103
Optical power [a.u.]
two-dimensional photonic crystals 102
generally rely on an optically pumped
101
central area surrounded by unpumped
and absorbing regions. This ideal con- 10 0
figuration is lost when photonic-crystal 10 -1
lasers are electrically pumped—which is
practically attractive since an external la- 10 -2
2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.4
ser source is not required. In this case, the Frequency [THz]
(c) 30 (d)
device area must be physically defined by 1 30 1
semiconductor processing. This creates an 20
0.8 20 0.8
abrupt change in the dielectric constant 10 10
θ [deg]
0.6 0.6
θ [deg]
at the device boundaries, especially for 0 0
lasers operating in the far-infrared, where 0.4 0.4
30 30
the large wavelengths impose device
0.2 20 0.2
thicknesses of several microns. 20
Such abrupt boundary conditions 10 0 10 0
can dramatically influence the operation 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40
of electrically pumped photonic-crystal θ [deg] θ [deg]
lasers. We have demonstrated a general (a) Optical microscope image of the surface of a typical device. (b) Single-mode spectrum of
technique to implement absorbing bound- photonic-crystal device (T=10K). Sidemode suppression ratio is at least 30 dB. (c) Calcu-
lated far-field profile for the hexapole mode. (d) Experimental far-field pattern for device
aries, which proves crucial to the excita- operating on the hexapole mode. Measurement performed at 78 K by scanning a Golay cell
tion of proper photonic-crystal states.1 detector at a constant distance from laser. Agreement with theory is good: The mode sym-
We fabricated photonic-crystal terahertz metry and angular values are correctly reproduced, although experimental far-field exhibits
(THz) semiconductor lasers, where the an asymmetric intensity. (Inset) The definition of the angles θ and ϕ.
photonic crystal is simply “written” in the
device top metallization.2 Single-mode laser processing. Furthermore, the spatial delo- increased by optimizing the photonic-
action is obtained in the 2.55-2.88 THz calization of band-edge modes allows for crystal resonators, in particlar the qual-
range and is tunable with photonic lattice improved power extraction. ity factor. This demonstration represents
spacing. The emission far field exhibits a We then demonstrated a framework to an important step in the development of
reduced angular divergence, thus providing understand and predict far-field emission photonic-crystal micro-cavity lasers for
a solution for the quasi-total lack of direc- in THz photonic-crystal QC lasers.4 We practical applications.
tionality typical of THz semiconductor identified photonic-crystal band-edge states This material is based on work conducted as
lasers based on metal–metal waveguides.3 involved in the lasing process (hexapole part of a EURYI scheme award.
The active laser materials used are GaAs/ and monopole modes at the Γ point of the
Y. Chassagneux and R. Colombelli (raffaele.
AlGaAs quantum cascade (QC) lasers. photonic band structure, as designed). The colombelli@[Link]) are with the Institut
Two-dimensional photonic-crystal theoretical far-field patterns, obtained via d’Electronique Fondamentale, Université Paris-Sud
and CNRS, Orsay, France. W. Maineult and S. Bar-
lasers are classified as either defect mode or finite-difference time-domain simulations, bieri are with the Laboratoire MPQ, Université Paris
band-edge-mode lasers. The former oper- are in very good agreement with experiment. 7 and CNRS, Paris, France. H.E. Beere and D.A.
ate at frequencies inside the bandgap by Ritchie are with Cavendish Laboratory, University
By using high-performance THz QC of Cambridge, United Kingdom. S.P. Khanna, E.H.
introducing a defect that supports localized lasers, we obtained a maximum operating Linfield and A.G. Davies are with the School of
modes. Band-edge mode lasers operate in temperature of 136 K in pulsed mode for Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of
Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
regions of energy–momentum space that these lasers, as well as 7 mW peak output
References
have a high photonic density of states. We at 10K. This proves that the addition of 1. Y. Chassagneux et al. Nature 457, 174 (2009).
implemented the latter device architecture new functionalities via photonic engineer- 2. M. Bahriz et al. Opt. Express 15, 5948 (2007).
to take advantage of the connected nature ing comes at little detriment to the overall 3. A.J.L. Adam et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 151105 (2006).
of the lattice, which greatly simplifies the device performance, which could be further 4. Y. Chassagneux et al. Opt. Express 17, 9491 (2009).
December 2009 | 37