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arXiv · 1805.04369

THz pulses over 50 millijoules generated from relativistic picosecond laser-plasma interactions

Guoqian Liao·Hao Liu·Yutong Li·Graeme G. Scott·David Neely·Yihang Zhang·Baojun Zhu·Zhe Zhang·Chris Armstrong·Egle Zemaityte·Philip Bradford·Peter G. Huggard·Paul McKenna·Ceri M. Brenner·Nigel C. Woolsey·Weimin Wang·Zhengming Sheng·Jie Zhang
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Abstract

Ultrahigh-power terahertz (THz) radiation sources are essential for many applications, such as nonlinear THz physics, THz-wave based compact accelerators, etc. However, until now none of THz sources reported, whether based upon large-scale accelerators or high power lasers, have produced THz pulses with energies above the millijoule (mJ) barrier. Here we report on the efficient generation of low-frequency (<3 THz) THz pulses with unprecedentedly high energies over 50 mJ. The THz radiation is produced by coherent transition radiation of a picosecond laser-accelerated ultra-bright bunch of relativistic electrons from a solid target. Such high energy THz pulses can not only trigger various nonlinear dynamics in matter, but also open up a new research field of relativistic THz optics.

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Guoqian Liao, Hao Liu, Yutong Li, Graeme G. Scott, David Neely, Yihang Zhang, Baojun Zhu, Zhe Zhang, Chris Armstrong, Egle Zemaityte, Philip Bradford, Peter G. Huggard, Paul McKenna, Ceri M. Brenner, Nigel C. Woolsey, Weimin Wang, Zhengming Sheng, Jie Zhang. 2018-05-11. THz pulses over 50 millijoules generated from relativistic picosecond laser-plasma interactions. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1815256116

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