Ionizing terahertz waves with 260 MV/cm from scalable optical rectification

Hyeongmun Kim; Chul Kang; Dogeun Jang; Yulan Roh; Sang Hwa Lee; Joong Wook Lee; Jae Hee Sung; Seong Ku Lee; Ki-Yong Kim

doi:10.1038/s41377-024-01462-w

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Ionizing terahertz waves with 260 MV/cm from scalable optical rectification

Original Articles

- Ionizing terahertz waves with 260 MV/cm from scalable optical rectification
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 13, Issue 6, Pages: 1075-1087(2024)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Advanced Photonics Research Institute, GIST, Gwangju 61005, Korea
  2.Department of Physics and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
  3.Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, POSTECH, Pohang 37673, Korea
  4.Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science, Gwangju 61005, Korea
  5.Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics; Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
- Author bio：
  
  Chul Kang (iron74@gist.ac.kr)
  Ki-Yong Kim (kykim@umd.edu)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-024-01462-w
  CLC：
- Received：06 November 2023，
  
  Revised：2024-04-05，
  
  Accepted：20 April 2024，
  
  Published Online：27 May 2024，
  
  Published：30 June 2024
- Accepted：
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Kim, H. et al. Ionizing terahertz waves with 260 MV/cm from scalable optical rectification. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1075-1087 (2024).
DOI：

Kim, H. et al. Ionizing terahertz waves with 260 MV/cm from scalable optical rectification. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1075-1087 (2024). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-024-01462-w.

摘要

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) waves

known as non-ionizing radiation owing to their low photon energies

can actually ionize atoms and molecules when a sufficiently large number of THz photons are concentrated in time and space. Here

we demonstrate the generation of ionizing

multicycle

15-THz waves emitted from large-area lithium niobate crystals via phase-matched optical rectification of 150-terawatt laser pulses. A complete characterization of the generated THz waves in energy

pulse duration

and focal spot size shows that the field strength can reach up to 260 megavolts per centimeter. In particular

a single-shot THz interferometer is employed to measure the THz pulse duration and spectrum with complementary numerical simulations. Such intense THz pulses are irradiated onto various solid targets to demonstrate THz-induced tunneling ionization and plasma formation. This study also discusses the potential of nonperturbative THz-driven ionization in gases

which will open up new opportunities

including nonlinear and relativistic THz physics in plasma.

关键词

Keywords

references

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