Absolute self-calibrated room-temperature terahertz powermeter.

Coupling optical and thermal properties of a terahertz (THz) thermal converter based on the Seebeck effect provides an unsupplied room-temperature measuring device dedicated to THz power metrology. Performance characteristics such as broadband response (0-30 THz), high sensitivity (<25 µW·Hz(-0.5)), and the possibility to develop an internal absolute self-calibration estimated at 9.93 W·V(-1) are reported. Advantages and drawbacks of this THz powermeter are discussed.

Three-dimensional terahertz computed tomography of human bones.

Three-dimensional terahertz computed tomography has been used to investigate dried human bones such as a lumbar vertebra, a coxal bone, and a skull, with a direct comparison with standard radiography. In spite of lower spatial resolution compared with x-ray, terahertz imaging clearly discerns a compact bone from a spongy one, with strong terahertz absorption as shown by additional terahertz time-domain transmission spectroscopy.

Terahertz tomographic imaging of XVIIIth Dynasty Egyptian sealed pottery.

A monochromatic millimeter-wave imaging system coupled with an infrared temperature sensor has been used to investigate historic objects preserved at the Museum of Aquitaine (France). In particular, two-dimensional and three-dimensional analyses have been performed in order to reveal the internal structure of nearly 3500-year-old sealed Egyptian jars.

Frequency chirp of long electron quantum paths in high-order harmonic generation.

We report on the first experimental measurement of the spectral broadening of the harmonic emission associated with only the long electron quantum paths as a function of the driving pulse intensity. For such measurements we have estimated the chirp coefficient associated with the long quantum paths, within the strong-field approximation. This coefficient describes how the harmonic phase depends on the intensity of the driving laser field. The dependence of the chirp coefficient on the driving pulse intensity and on the harmonic order, which strongly influence the characteristics of the harmonic radiation, has been experimentally investigated. The experimental values turn out to be in excellent agreement with the results of numerical simulations based on the use of the nonadiabatic saddle-point method.

Submicrometer digital in-line holographic microscopy at 32 nm with high-order harmonics.

Soft-x-ray digital in-line microscopic holography is achieved using a fully coherent high-order harmonic source emitting at 32 nm. Combination of commercial-grade soft-x-ray optics and a back-illuminated CCD detector allows a compact and versatile holographic setup. Different experimental geometries have been tested by imaging calibrated 50 nm tips and 1 microm wires. Spatial resolution of 800 nm is measured with magnifications ranging from 30 to 110 and a numerical aperture around 0.01. Finally, the potentiality of three-dimensional numerical reconstruction from a single hologram acquisition is shown experimentally.

Direct measurement of wave-front distortion induced during second-harmonic generation: application to breakup-integral compensation.

The wave-front distortion of femtosecond laser pulses recorded with a Shack-Hartmann analyzer makes it possible to retrieve the nonlinear index of refraction of different glasses and the nonlinear phase shift induced during second-harmonic generation in beta-barium borate (BBO) crystal versus the phase mismatch. It is shown that the nonlinear phase shift induced in a 2-mm-thick BBO crystal allows compensation for up to a 2pi breakup-integral induced in a 4-cm fused-silica glass. The stability of the compensation is reported to be from 10 to 100 GW cm(-2).