Numerical Study on the Potential Enhancement of Organic Terahertz Sources through Tilted Pulse Front Pumping

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to show that tilted pulse front pumping can enhance organic THz sources by broadening wavelength tunability and increasing damage thresholds, with practical design insights for implementation.

Contribution

It introduces tilted pulse front pumping as a novel method to improve organic THz generation, extending wavelength range and damage threshold capabilities.

Findings

Significant improvement in four of six crystals tested.

Tilted pulse front enables wider wavelength tuning.

Higher damage threshold achievable with longer wavelengths.

Abstract

Organic crystals offer promising potential for THz generation, but face limitations in wavelength tunability and damage threshold. By applying tilted pulse front pumping to organic crystals an additional degree of freedom is introduced into the pumping conditions enabling a wider range of pumping wavelengths without compromising phase matching. Additionally, the lifespan of organic materials can be extended by using longer pumping wavelength and eliminate lower-order multi-photon absorption, allowing for higher pumping intensity without significant free carrier absorption, thus increasing the damage threshold. Simulations predict significant improvement for four out of six investigated crystals when tilted pulse front pumping is applied. By using volume phase holographic grating one can achieve pulse front tilt in organic crystals in collinear geometry with high diffraction efficiency. Design parameters are also presented.