arXiv subjects

Peter U. Jepsen

Publications and source records attributed to Peter U. Jepsen.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Terahertz s-SNOM reveals nonlocal nanoscale conductivity of graphene

As photonic and electronic technologies approach nanometre length scales and terahertz operating speeds, electrical conductivity can no longer be treated as a purely local material parameter. In this regime, charge transport becomes intrinsically nonlocal, with conductivity depending on both frequency and momentum, $σ(ω,q)$, fundamentally limiting field confinement, dispersion, and loss in nanoscale devices. Here, we directly measure the nonlocal nanoscale conductivity of graphene using terahertz scattering-type near-field optical microscopy. By combining broadband THz near-field spectroscopy with quantitative electrodynamic modelling, we extract the complex conductivity of single- and few-layer graphene with $\sim$50 nm spatial resolution. We find that nonlocal response dominates the terahertz conductivity of monolayer graphene even at length scales comparable to practical device dimensions. These results establish nonlocal conductivity as a measurable and design-relevant material property in the terahertz regime, providing a quantitative foundation for predicting performance limits in ultracompact photonic and electronic systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Ultrafast control of coherent acoustic lattice dynamics in the transition metal dichalcogenide alloy WSSe

Coherent acoustic phonons (CAPs)$-$propagating strain waves that can dynamically modify the structure and symmetry of a crystal$-$offer unique opportunities for controlling material properties. We investigate CAP generation in the Janus-like layered alloy tungsten sulfide selenide (WS$_x$Se$_{1-x}$, hereafter WSSe). Employing high-fluence photoexcitation at 400 nm combined with ultrafast transient reflection spectroscopy, we capture the carrier-lattice dynamics governed by a cascade of processes including rapid exciton formation, phonon recycling, and thermoelastic deformation. These phenomena precede the emergence of a robust CAP mode at 27 GHz. Notably, the CAP amplitude in WSSe substantially exceeds that observed in the symmetric parent crystals WS$_2$ and WSe$_2$, which we attribute to an enhanced coupling mediated by a built-in out-of-plane electric field arising from the inversion asymmetry of the WSSe alloy. Furthermore, the implementation of a tailored two-pulse excitation sequence enables optical control of the CAP, underscoring the potential of WSSe and related Janus-like layered alloys as versatile building blocks in optomechanical and nanoacoustic device applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Dielectric permittivity extraction of MoS$_2$ nanoribbons using THz nanoscopy

The nanoscale optical properties of high-quality MoS$_2$ nanoribbons are investigated using THz nanoscopy based on a scattering-type scanning probe. The nanoribbons comprise a multi-layer core, surrounded by monolayer edges. A featureless complex permittivity spectrum covering the range 0.6-1.6 THz is extracted from experimental time-domain measurements through a minimization procedure, adopting an extended finite-dipole model of the probe-sample interaction. Real-space mapping of the nanoribbon reveals variations in the local permittivity down to the instrument-limited resolution, on the order of 30 nm. Clustering analysis statistically identifies regions of lower apparent permittivity that we attribute to a high curvature at the edges of the nanoribbon causing an increase in local material strain or cross-talk in the measured signal with topography-induced measurement artifacts. The core of the nanoribbon contains two regions that follow tightly distributed, but slightly shifted Gaussian statistics in complex permittivity space, with the real part mean of both distributions lying around 5.4 and compatible with literature values of the static permittivity of thin-film MoS$_2$ reported previously. Our results show that the nanoribbons exhibit a modest degree of dielectric variation at the nanoscale that could be explained by heterogeneous doping or variations in the local defect density. We believe that our approach could be useful for the direct real-space measurement of dielectric disorder in other low-dimensional semiconducting material systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Waveshape of THz radiation produced by two-color laser-induced air plasmas

The spatial and spectral distributions of terahertz (THz) pulses emitted by two-color air plasmas are theoretically investigated for focused laser pulses and in the filamentation regime. We derive a so-called ''augmented'' conical emission model, which, similarly to the one originally proposed by You et al.\ [Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett.\ {\bf 109}, 183902 (2012)], involves phase matching between laser harmonics along the plasma channel, the plasma density and length, and the emitted frequency as key parameters. Our augmented model, however, treats envelope effects and accounts for transverse variations of both plasma- and Kerr-driven potential THz emitters. We highlight the importance of the characteristic spatio-spectral distributions of these two conversion mechanisms in the expression of the angular radiated power. The results of our model are successfully compared with data provided by a comprehensive, fully space and time-resolved unidirectional solver. Importantly, these numerical simulations clear up the effective plasma length along which THz emission develops, compared with the dephasing length along which the laser fundamental and second harmonic become out-of-phase. The impact of common optical aberrations, such as sphericity, astigmatism, and coma, on the THz generation is also investigated. Aberrations are shown to generally decrease the laser-to-THz conversion efficiency and potentially induce spatial asymmetries and narrowing in the THz spectra.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2023

Towards Intense Ultra-Broadband High Repetition Rate Terahertz Sources Based on Organic Crystals [Invited]

Increasing the average power of broadband, few-cycle terahertz (THz) sources is currently a topic of intense investigation, fueled by recent immense progress in high average power femtosecond laser driving sources at 1030 nm. However, many crucial applications would benefit not only from an increase in average power, but also from ultra-broad bandwidth, while maintaining high dynamic range at these frequencies. This calls for the challenging combination of high repetition rates and high average power simultaneously. Here, we discuss the recent progress in the promising approach enabled by organic crystals for THz-generation. Specifically, this review article discusses advances with the most commonly used organic crystals BNA, DAST, DSTMS, OH1 and HMQ-TMS. We place special emphasis on nonlinear and thermal properties and discuss future directions for this field.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Fermi velocity renormalization in graphene probed by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We demonstrate terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to be an accurate, rapid and scalable method to probe the interaction-induced Fermi velocity renormalization νF^* of charge carriers in graphene. This allows the quantitative extraction of all electrical parameters (DC conductivity σDC, carrier density n, and carrier mobility μ) of large-scale graphene films placed on arbitrary substrates via THz-TDS. Particularly relevant are substrates with low relative permittivity (< 5) such as polymeric films, where notable renormalization effects are observed even at relatively large carrier densities (> 10^12 cm-2, Fermi level > 0.1 eV). From an application point of view, the ability to rapidly and non-destructively quantify and map the electrical (σDC, n, μ) and electronic (νF^* ) properties of large-scale graphene on generic substrates is key to utilize this material in applications such as metrology, flexible electronics as well as to monitor graphene transfers using polymers as handling layers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗