Pre-Chirped Pulse Excitation Enhanced Terahertz Radiation

Abstract

The enhanced broadband THz radiation excited by pre-chirping the femtosecond pumping laser pulse is explored from a photoconductive antenna made by the low-temperature molecular-beam-epitaxy (LT-MBE) grown Gallium Arsenide (GaAs). Nearly 3-dB enlargement on peak amplitude of THz radiation accompanied with broadened bandwidth is achieved with positively chirped pulse excitation. The laser with short pulsewidth assists the broadening of THz bandwidth, whereas the peak intensity of THz relies strictly on lengthened carrier lifetime. The enhancement of high-frequency radiation components at low pumping intensity also indicates the nature of power dependence in such a coherently controlled process. When photocurrent saturation occurs in the LT-MBE-grown GaAs under high-power pumping condition, the clipping effect on peak amplitude of current pulse lengthens the duration of current surge effect. Both the peak intensity and the frequency spectrum of the generated THz pulse concurrently declines. The physical mechanism related to pre-chirped pulse excitation dependent carrier dynamics is proposed to elucidate the spectral response as well as the power dependence in such a coherently controlled THz radiation process.