Tunable terahertz generation using femtosecond pulse shaping

Abstract

Femtosecond pulse shaping and photomixing methods are combined to make a tunable terahertz source. Grating-pair pulse shaper selects two main frequency components to produce pulses that are modulated with a period which is inversely proportional to the frequency separation. The shaped pulse is then photomixed in semi-insulating GaAs under external bias. Terahertz (THz) emission frequency follows the modulation frequency of the excitation pulses, from 0.5 to 3 THz. Contrary to cw photomixing, this method can easily be combined with electro-optic and photoconductive sampling detection methods.