Terahertz Wave Generation in Two-Dimensional MXenes under Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Illumination

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through simulations that 2D MXenes can efficiently generate tunable terahertz waves when illuminated by femtosecond laser pulses, highlighting their potential for advanced photonic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hydrodynamic model combined with FDTD simulations to predict THz generation in MXenes, providing a comprehensive framework for ultrafast nonlinear optics in 2D materials.

Findings

Strong, tunable THz emission dependent on laser parameters

Material and structural properties significantly influence THz output

Framework enables experimental verification and device design

Abstract

The efficient generation of terahertz (THz) waves in two-dimensional (2D) MXene layers driven by near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses is demonstrated through predictive simulations. Employing a novel hydrodynamic model that self-consistently captures nonlinearities from electric, magnetic, and convective interactions with a minimal set of material parameters. The coupled hydrodynamic-Maxwell equations are solved via finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods to resolve the spatiotemporal dynamics of laser-induced carriers and THz emission. The results reveal strong, tunable THz output dependent on laser (intensity, polarization, incidence angle), material (composition, carrier density, temperature), and struc-tural (layer thickness, substrate) parameters. These predictions offer verifiable guidelines for experiments and position MXenes as versatile platforms for compact, broadband THz sources in on-chip photonics and 6G communications. This work establishes a robust, self-contained framework for modeling ultrafast nonlinear optics in 2D materials.