Subnanosecond Ellipticity Detector for Laser Radiation (second version, extended)

TL;DR

This paper presents two room-temperature terahertz laser radiation detectors utilizing photogalvanic effects in semiconductor quantum wells, capable of high-resolution polarization measurements in nanoseconds.

Contribution

Introduction of two novel all-electric terahertz polarization detectors based on photogalvanic effects with nanosecond time resolution.

Findings

Detectors operate at room temperature.

Able to determine polarization and Stokes parameters.

High time resolution of nanoseconds.

Abstract

Two types of room temperature detectors of terahertz laser radiation have been developed which allow in an all-electric manner to determine the plane of polarization of linearly polarized radiation and the Stokes parameters of elliptically polarized radiation, respectively. The operation of the detectors is based on photogalvanic effects in semiconductor quantum well structures of low symmetry. The photogalvanic effects have nanoseconds time constants at room temperature making a high time resolution of the polarization detectors possible.