Development of the Methods of Control of Radiation Structure of

Specific features of radiation structure of terahertz quantum  cascade  lasers  are determined  by wire geometry of their waveguides with small and sub-wavelength transverse dimensions  and  the  length much larger than the wavelength. Here we present an  overview  of  the  results  of  beam  profile investigations and of the methods proposed for the control of radiation structure of such lasers

Stimulated terahertz emission due to electronic Raman scattering in silicon

Silicon-based semiconductors are intensively investigated over the past years as promising candidates for optoelectronic devices at terahertz (THz) frequencies [1]. Optically pumped intracenter silicon lasers, realized in the past decade in the THz range, are based on direct optical transitions between shallow levels of different shallow donors [2]. Recently, terahertz Raman laser emission has been demonstrated in silicon doped by antimony [3] and phosphorus [4]. We report on realization of terahertz lasers based on intracenter electronic Raman scattering in silicon doped by arsenic (Si:As, frequency range 4.8 – 5.1 THz and 5.9 – 6.5 THz) and silicon doped by bismuth (Si:Bi, 4.6 – 5.9 THz) under optical excitation by infrared frequency-tunable free electron laser at low lattice temperatures. The Stokes shift of the observed laser emission is equal to the Raman-active donor electronic transition between the ground 1s(A1) and the excited 1s(E) donor states. Raman terahertz gain of the lasers is similar to those observed for the donor-type terahertz silicon donor lasers

Image beam from a wire laser

We demonstrate the formation of a narrow beam from a long (L??) laser with subwavelength transverse dimensions (wire laser) as an image of the subwavelength laser waveguide formed by a spherical lens. The beam is linearly diverging with the angle determined by the ratio of the wavelength to the lens radius, while the minimum beam spot size is the same as that of the image of a point source. We realize such a beam experimentally using a terahertz quantum cascade wire laser.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Terahertz wavefronts measured using the Hartmann sensor principle

We demonstrate for the first time that the Hartmann wavefront sensor (HWS) principle can be applied for characterizing the wavefronts of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation. The THz Hartmann wavefront sensor consists of a metallic plate with an array of holes and a twodimensional scanable pyro-electric detector. The THz radiation with different wavefronts was generated by a far-infrared gas laser operated at 2.5 THz in combination with a number of objects that result in known wavefronts. To measure the wavefront, a beam passing through an array of holes generates intensity spots, for which the positions of the individual spot centroids are measured and compared with reference positions. The reconstructed wavefronts are in good agreement with the model expectations.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science

Gain in Silicon Lasers Based on Shallow Donor Transitions

The results of gain measurements for THz silicon lasers based on shallow donor intracenter optical transitions are presented. The experiments were performed unter optical excitation of neutral donor centers by free electron (FELIX) and TEA carbon dioxide laser radiation using oscillator-amplifier scheme. Experimental data are compared with the theoretical estimates

THz calorimetry: An absolute power meter for TeraHertz radiation and the absorptivity of the Herschel Space Observatory telescope mirror coating

A new calorimetric absolute power meter has been developed for THz radiation. This broad band THz power meter measures average power at ambient temperature and pressure, does not use a window, and is insensitive to polarization and time structure of THz radiation. The operation of the power meter is based on the calorimetric method: in order to determine the power of a beam of THz radiation, the beam is used to illuminate a highly absorbing surface with known BRDF characteristics until a stable temperature is reached. The power in the incident beam can then be determined by measuring the electric power needed to cause the sample temperature rise. The new power meter was used with laser calorimetry to measure the absorptivity, and thus the emissivity, of aluminum-coated silicon carbide mirror samples produced during the coating qualification run of the Herschel Space Observatory telescope to be launched by the European Space Agency in 2007. The samples were measured at 77 Kelvin to simulate the operating temperature of the telescope in its planned orbit around the second Lagrangian point, L2, of the Earth-Sun system. The absorptivity of both clean and dust-contaminated samples was measured at 70, 118, 184 and 496 ?m and found to be in the range 0.2 – 0.8%.Kavli Institute of NanoscienceApplied Science