Phase-shift anomaly caused by subwavelength-scale metal slit or aperture diffraction.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy probes anomalous phase-shift caused by wave diffraction from a subwavelength-scale metal slit or aperture. Carrier frequency phase measurements in the far-field region reveals that nearly 30° phase advance is induced from a subwavelength slit diffraction and that 180° phase-advance from a subwavelength aperture. These results indicate that the conventional 90° phase advance of diffracted waves in the far-field region, known as the Gouy phase shift, is not valid for subwavelength diffraction phenomena. The physical origin of these phase-shift anomalies is attributed to induced electric currents or magnetic dipole radiation, and theoretical analyses based on these factors are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Polarization shaping of few-cycle terahertz waves.

We present a polarization shaping technique for few-cycle terahertz (THz) waves. For this, N femtosecond laser pulses are generated from a devised diffractive optical system made of as-many glass wedges, which then simultaneously illuminate on various angular positions of a sub-wavelength circular pattern of an indium arsenide thin film, to produce a THz wave of tailor-made polarization state given as a superposition of N linearly-polarized THz pulses. By properly arranging the orientation and thickness of the glass wedges, which determine the polarization and its timing of the constituent THz pulses, we successfully generate THz waves of various unconventional polarization states, such as polarization rotation and alternation between circular polarization states.

Terahertz substance imaging by waveform shaping.

Terahertz pulse shaping technique is used to adaptively design terahertz waveforms of enhanced spectral correlation to particular materials among a given set of materials. In a proof-of-principle experiment performed with a two-dimensional image target consisted of meta-materials of distinctive resonance frequencies, the as-designed waveforms are used to demonstrate terahertz substance imaging. It is hoped that this material-specific terahertz waveforms may enable single- or few-shot terahertz material classification when being used in conjunction with terahertz power measurement.

Investigation of THz birefringence measurement and calculation in Al2O3 and LiNbO3.

Based on the polarization-sensitive terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, we measured the birefringence for Al2O3 and LiNbO3 single crystals, which correspond to trigonal structures that have an uniaxial birefringence, in the THz frequency range of 0.25 to 1.4 THz. For more comprehensive understanding of the THz birefringence, the measured birefringence is compared with the results of ab initio calculations. The measured birefringence shows good agreement with the calculated value.

Terahertz waves emitted from an optical fiber.

We report a simple method of creating terahertz waves by applying the photo-Dember effect in a (100)-oriented InAs film coated onto the 45-degree wedged-end facet of an optical fiber. The terahertz waves are generated by infrared pulses guided through the optical fiber which is nearly in contact with a sample and then measured by a conventional photo-conductive antenna detector. Using this alignment-free terahertz source, we performed proof-of-principle experiments of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and near-field terahertz microscopy. We obtained a bandwidth of 2 THz and 180-microm spatial resolution. Using this method, the THz imaging resolution is expected to be reduced to the size of the optical fiber core. Applications of this device can be extended to sub-wavelength terahertz spectroscopic imaging, miniaturized terahertz system design, and remote sensing.

Enhancement of terahertz pulse emission by optical nanoantenna.

Bridging the gap between ultrashort pulsed optical waves and terahertz (THz) waves, the THz photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a major constituent for the emission or detection of THz waves by diverse optical and electrical methods. However, THz PCA still lacks employment of advanced breakthrough technologies for high-power THz emission. Here, we report the enhancement of THz emission power by incorporating optical nanoantennas with a THz photoconductive antenna. The confinement and concentration of an optical pump beam on a photoconductive substrate can be efficiently achieved with optical nanoantennas over a high-index photoconductive substrate. Both numerical and experimental results clearly demonstrate the enhancement of THz wave emission due to high photocarrier generation at the plasmon resonance of nanoantennas. This work opens up many opportunities for diverse integrated photonic elements on a single PCA at THz and optical frequencies.