Intense widely-controlled terahertz radiation from laser-driven wires

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to generate intense, controllable terahertz radiation using laser-driven metallic wires, offering high efficiency and versatility for scientific and technological applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel setup where laser-irradiated wires produce high-efficiency, controllable terahertz radiation through a traveling discharge wave.

Findings

Achieved several percent conversion efficiency from laser energy to terahertz radiation.

Demonstrated robustness and versatility of the wire-based generation method.

Showcased potential for various scientific and technological applications.

Abstract

Irradiation of a thin metallic wire with an intense femtosecond laser pulse creates a strong discharge wave that travels as a narrow pulse along the wire surface. The travelling discharge efficiently emits secondary radiation with spectral characteristics mostly defined by the wire geometry. Several exemplary designs are considered in the context of generation of intense terahertz radiation with controllable characteristics for various scientific and technological applications. The proposed setup benefits by its robustness, versatility and high conversion efficiency of laser energy to terahertz radiation, which reaches several percent.