354 research outputs found
Partial and macroscopic phase coherences in underdoped BiSrCaCuO thin film
A combined study with use of time-domain pump-probe spectroscopy and
time-domain terahertz transmission spectroscopy have been carried out on an
underdoped BiSrCaCuO thin film. It was observed that
the low energy multi-excitation states were decomposed into superconducting gap
and pseudogap. The pseudogap locally opens below K
simultaneously with the appearance of the high-frequency partial pairs around
1.3 THz. With decreasing temperature, the number of the local domains with the
partial phase coherence increased and saturated near 100 K, and the macroscopic
superconductivity appeared below 76 K through the superconductivity fluctuation
state below 100 K. These experimental results indicate that the pseudogap makes
an important role for realization of the superconductivity as a precursor to
switch from the partial to the macroscopic phase coherence.Comment: Revtex4, 4 pages, 4 figure
Collective Antenna Effects in the Terahertz and Infrared Response of Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays
We study macroscopically-aligned single-wall carbon nanotube arrays with
uniform lengths via polarization-dependent terahertz and infrared transmission
spectroscopy. Polarization anisotropy is extreme at frequencies less than
3 THz with no sign of attenuation when the polarization is perpendicular
to the alignment direction. The attenuation for both parallel and perpendicular
polarizations increases with increasing frequency, exhibiting a pronounced and
broad peak around 10 THz in the parallel case. We model the electromagnetic
response of the sample by taking into account both radiative scattering and
absorption losses. We show that our sample acts as an effective antenna due to
the high degree of alignment, exhibiting much larger radiative scattering than
absorption in the mid/far-infrared range. Our calculated attenuation spectrum
clearly shows a non-Drude peak at 10 THz in agreement with the
experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Laser Terahertz Emission Microscope
Abstract: Laser terahertz (THz) emission microscope (LTEM) is reviewed. Femtosecond lasers can excite the THz waves in various electronic materials due to ultrafast current modulation. The current modulation is realized by acceleration or deceleration of photo-excited carriers, and thus LTEM visualizes dynamic photo-response of substances. We construct free-space type and scanning probe one with transmission or reflection modes. The developed systems have a minimum spatial resolution better than 2 µm, which is defined by the laser beam diameter. We also present some examples of LTEM applications
Sub-wavelength terahertz beam profiling of a THz source via an all-optical knife-edge technique
Terahertz technologies recently emerged as outstanding candidates for a variety of applications in such sectors as security, biomedical, pharmaceutical, aero spatial, etc. Imaging the terahertz field, however, still remains a challenge, particularly when sub-wavelength resolutions are involved. Here we demonstrate an all-optical technique for the terahertz near-field imaging directly at the source plane. A thin layer (<100 nm-thickness) of photo carriers is induced on the surface of the terahertz generation crystal, which acts as an all-optical, virtual blade for terahertz near-field imaging via a knife-edge technique. Remarkably, and in spite of the fact that the proposed approach does not require any mechanical probe, such as tips or apertures, we are able to demonstrate the imaging of a terahertz source with deeply sub-wavelength features (<30 μm) directly in its emission plane
Graphene field-effect-transistors with high on/off current ratio and large transport band gap at room temperature
Graphene is considered to be a promising candidate for future
nano-electronics due to its exceptional electronic properties. Unfortunately,
the graphene field-effect-transistors (FETs) cannot be turned off effectively
due to the absence of a bandgap, leading to an on/off current ratio typically
around 5 in top-gated graphene FETs. On the other hand, theoretical
investigations and optical measurements suggest that a bandgap up to a few
hundred meV can be created by the perpendicular E-field in bi-layer graphenes.
Although previous carrier transport measurements in bi-layer graphene
transistors did indicate a gate-induced insulating state at temperature below 1
Kelvin, the electrical (or transport) bandgap was estimated to be a few meV,
and the room temperature on/off current ratio in bi-layer graphene FETs remains
similar to those in single-layer graphene FETs. Here, for the first time, we
report an on/off current ratio of around 100 and 2000 at room temperature and
20 K, respectively in our dual-gate bi-layer graphene FETs. We also measured an
electrical bandgap of >130 and 80 meV at average electric displacements of 2.2
and 1.3 V/nm, respectively. This demonstration reveals the great potential of
bi-layer graphene in applications such as digital electronics,
pseudospintronics, terahertz technology, and infrared nanophotonics.Comment: 3 Figure
Angular dependence of the radiation power of a Josephson STAR-emitter
We calculate the angular dependence of the power of stimulated terahertz
amplified radiation (STAR) emitted from a voltage applied across a stack
of intrinsic Josephson junctions. During coherent emission, we assume a
spatially uniform Josephson current density in the stack acts as a surface
electric current density antenna source, and the cavity features of the stack
are contained in a magnetic surface current density source. A superconducting
substrate acts as a perfect magnetic conductor with on its
surface. The combined results agree very well with recent experimental
observations. Existing BiSrCaCuO crystals atop perfect
electric conductors could have Josephson STAR-emitter power in excess of 5 mW,
acceptable for many device applications.Comment: 3 pages 3 figure
The MBE growth and optimization of high performance terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers
The technique of molecular beam epitaxy has recently been used to demonstrate the growth of terahertz frequency GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade lasers (QCL) with Watt-level optical output powers. In this paper, we discuss the critical importance of achieving accurate layer thicknesses and alloy compositions during growth, and demonstrate that precise growth control as well as run-to-run growth reproducibility is possible. We also discuss the importance of minimizing background doping level in maximizing QCL performance. By selecting high-performance active region designs, and optimizing the injection doping level and device fabrication, we demonstrate total optical (two-facet) output powers as high as 1.56 W
Metamaterial Polarization Converter Analysis: Limits of Performance
In this paper we analyze the theoretical limits of a metamaterial converter
that allows for linear-to- elliptical polarization transformation with any
desired ellipticity and ellipse orientation. We employ the transmission line
approach providing a needed level of the design generalization. Our analysis
reveals that the maximal conversion efficiency for transmission through a
single metamaterial layer is 50%, while the realistic re ection configuration
can give the conversion efficiency up to 90%. We show that a double layer
transmission converter and a single layer with a ground plane can have 100%
polarization conversion efficiency. We tested our conclusions numerically
reaching the designated limits of efficiency using a simple metamaterial
design. Our general analysis provides useful guidelines for the metamaterial
polarization converter design for virtually any frequency range of the
electromagnetic waves.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, 2 table
Quasi-continuous frequency tunable terahertz quantum cascade lasers with coupled cavity and integrated photonic lattice
We demonstrate quasi-continuous tuning of the emission frequency from coupled cavity terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers. Such coupled cavity lasers comprise a lasing cavity and a tuning cavity which are optically coupled through a narrow air slit and are operated above and below the lasing threshold current, respectively. The emission frequency of these devices is determined by the Vernier resonance of longitudinal modes in the lasing and the tuning cavities, and can be tuned by applying an index perturbation in the tuning cavity. The spectral coverage of the coupled cavity devices have been increased by reducing the repetition frequency of the Vernier resonance and increasing the ratio of the free spectral ranges of the two cavities. A continuous tuning of the coupled cavity modes has been realized through an index perturbation of the lasing cavity itself by using wide electrical heating pulses at the tuning cavity and exploiting thermal conduction through the monolithic substrate. Single mode emission and discrete frequency tuning over a bandwidth of 100 GHz and a quasi-continuous frequency coverage of 7 GHz at 2.25 THz is demonstrated. An improvement in the side mode suppression and a continuous spectral coverage of 3 GHz is achieved without any degradation of output power by integrating a π-phase shifted photonic lattice in the laser cavity
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