34 research outputs found
Strong terahertz emission from electromagnetic diffusion near cutoff in plasma
Anew mechanism for electromagnetic emission in the terahertz (THz) frequency regime from laser-plasma interactions is described. A localized and long-lasting transverse current is produced by two counter-propagating short laser pulses in weakly magnetized plasma. We show that the electromagnetic wave radiating from this current source, even though its frequency is close to cut-off of the ambient plasma, grows and diffuses towards the plasma-vacuum boundary, emitting a strong monochromatic THz wave. With driving laser pulses of moderate power, the THz wave has a field strength of tens of MV m(-1), a frequency of a few THz and a quasi-continuous power that exceeds all previous monochromatic THz sources. The novelty of the mechanism lies in a diffusing electromagnetic wave close to cut-off, which is modelled by a continuously driven complex diffusion equationopen
Terahertz Josephson plasma waves in layered superconductors: spectrum, generation, nonlinear, and quantum phenomena
The recent growing interest in terahertz (THz) and sub-THz science and
technology is due to its many important applications in physics, astronomy,
chemistry, biology, and medicine. We review the problem of linear and
non-linear THz and sub-THz Josephson plasma waves in layered superconductors
and their excitations produced by moving Josephson vortices. We start by
discussing the coupled sine-Gordon equations for the gauge-invariant phase
difference of the order parameter in the junctions, taking into account the
effect of breaking the charge neutrality, and deriving the spectrum of
Josephson plasma waves. We also review surface and waveguide Josephson plasma
waves. We review the propagation of weakly nonlinear Josephson plasma waves
below the plasma frequency, which is very unusual for plasma-like excitations.
In close analogy to nonlinear optics, these waves exhibit numerous remarkable
features, including a self-focusing effect, and the pumping of weaker waves by
a stronger one. We also present quantum effects in layered superconductors,
specifically, the problem of quantum tunnelling of fluxons through stacks of
Josephson junctions. We discuss the Cherenkov and transition radiations of the
Josephson plasma waves produced by moving Josephson vortices. We also discuss
the problem of coherent radiation (superradiance) of the THz waves by exciting
uniform Josephson oscillations. The effects reviewed here could be potentially
useful for sub-THz and THz emitters, filters, and detectors
Phase-shifting interferometry based on induced vibrations
The presence of uncontrolled mechanical vibrations is typically the main precision-limiting factor of a phase-shifting interferometer. We present a method that instead of trying to insolate vibrations; it takes advantage of their presence to produce the different phase-steps. The method is based on spatial and time domain processing techniques to compute first the different unknown phase-steps and then reconstruct the phase from these tilt-shifted interferograms. In order to compensate the camera movement, it is needed to perform an affine registration process between the different interferograms. Simulated and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique without the use of any phase-shifter devic