Development of a hardened THz energy meter for use on the kilojoule-scale, short-pulse OMEGA EP laser

TL;DR

This paper presents a robust, adaptable THz energy meter designed for high-intensity laser plasma experiments, capable of detecting a wide range of THz pulse energies and polarizations within the challenging environment of the OMEGA EP laser facility.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel, radiation-shielded THz energy meter with configurable detection range and polarization sensitivity, tailored for high-energy laser plasma interactions.

Findings

Successfully calibrated with linear sensitivity up to 1000 nJ

Detected up to 15 microjoules of THz energy in experiments

Demonstrated robustness in high-radiation environment

Abstract

A highly adaptable and robust THz energy meter has been designed and implemented to detect energetic THz pulses from high intensity (greater than 1E18 watts per square centimeter) laser plasma interactions on OMEGA EP. THz radiation from the laser driven target is detected by a shielded pyrometer. A second identical pyrometer is used for background subtraction. The detector can be configured to detect THz pulses in the 1 mm to 30 microns (0.3 to 10 THz) range and pulse energies from joules to microjoules via changes in filtration, aperture size and position. Additional polarization selective filtration can also be used to determine THz pulse polarization. The design incorporates significant radiation and EMP shielding to survive and operate within the OMEGA EP radiation environment. We describe the design, operational principle, calibration and testing of the THz energy meter. The pyrometers were calibrated using a benchtop laser and show linear sensitivity up to 1000 nJ of absorbed energy. Initial results from four OMEGA EP THz experiments detected up to 15 microjoules at the detector, which can correspond to 100s of mJ depending on THz emission and reflection models.