Highly efficient broadband terahertz generation from ultrashort laser filamentation in liquids. Issue 1 (December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dey, Indranuj; Jana, Kamalesh; Fedorov, Vladimir; Koulouklidis, Anastasios; Mondal, Angana; Shaikh, Moniruzzaman; Sarkar, Deep; Lad, Amit; Tzortzakis, Stelios; Couairon, Arnaud; Kumar, G. Ravindra
• Is Part Of: Nature communications. Volume 8:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 7
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Subjects: Biology -- Periodicals; Physical sciences -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01382-x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-1723

Abstract

Abstract Generation and application of energetic, broadband terahertz pulses (bandwidth ~0.1–50 THz) is an active and contemporary area of research. The main thrust is toward the development of efficient sources with minimum complexities—a true table-top setup. In this work, we demonstrate the generation of terahertz radiation via ultrashort pulse induced filamentation in liquids—a counterintuitive observation due to their large absorption coefficient in the terahertz regime. The generated terahertz energy is more than an order of magnitude higher than that obtained from the two-color filamentation of air (the most standard table-top technique). Such high terahertz energies would generate electric fields of the order of MV cm-1, which opens the doors for various nonlinear terahertz spectroscopic applications. The counterintuitive phenomenon has been explained via the solution of nonlinear pulse propagation equation in the liquid medium. Developing simple and efficient table-top sources of intense terahertz radiation is an ongoing pursuit. Here, Dey et al. demonstrate broadband terahertz generation from laser filamentation in liquids with an order of magnitude higher energy than from conventional two-color filamentation in air.