Laser pulse driven terahertz generation via resonant transition radiation in inhomogeneous plasmas

Miao, Chenlong; Antonsen, Thomas M.; Palastro, John P.

doi:10.1063/1.4953098

Laser pulse driven terahertz generation via resonant transition radiation in inhomogeneous plasmas

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2016 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4953098· OSTI ID:22600131

Miao, Chenlong; Antonsen, Thomas M. ^[1]; Palastro, John P. ^[2]

Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)

An intense, short laser pulse propagating across a plasma boundary ponderomotively drives THz radiation. Full format PIC simulations and theoretical analysis are conducted to investigate the properties of this radiation. Simulation results which show the THz emission originates in regions of varying density and covers a broad spectrum with maximum frequency close to the maximum plasma frequency. In the case of a sharp vacuum-plasma boundary, the radiation is generated symmetrically at the plasma entrance and exit, and its properties are independent of plasma density when the density exceeds a characteristic value determined by the product of the plasma frequency and the laser pulse duration. For a diffuse vacuum-plasma boundary, the emission from the plasma entrance and exit is asymmetric: increasing and decreasing density ramps enhance and diminish the radiated energy, respectively. Enhancements by a factor of 50 are found and simulations show that a 1.66 J, 50 fs driver pulse can generate ∼400 μJ of THz radiation in a 1.2 mm increasing density ramp. We present a model that attributes this effect to a plasma resonance process in the density ramp. The results from the model match those of the simulations for ramp lengths less than 600 μm. For longer ramps for which simulations are too time consuming, the model shows that the amount of radiation reaches a maximum at a ramp length determined by collisional absorption.

OSTI ID:: 22600131

Journal Information:: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 23; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Terahertz emission from laser-driven gas-plasmas: a plasmonic point of view Thiele, I.; Zhou, B.; Nguyen, A. arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.1803.06889	text	January 2018
Terahertz emission from laser-driven gas plasmas: a plasmonic point of view Thiele, I.; Zhou, B.; Nguyen, A. Optica, Vol. 5, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.5.001617	journal	January 2018
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Laser pulse driven terahertz generation via resonant transition radiation in inhomogeneous plasmas

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