Giant single-cycle THz pulsesfor pump-probe experiments

Abstract

Strong-field single-cycle THz pulses are an invaluable tool forprobing and controlling low-energy excitations in matter such asmagnons, plasmons, phonons and Josephson waves. A novel scheme isproposed to generate quasi-half-cycle GV/m THz pulses with a mutlikilohertzrepetition rate. It makes use of coherent spontaneous emissionfrom a pre-bunched electron beam traversing an optimally taperedundulator. The scheme is the further development of the novel conceptof the slippage control in free-electron lasers [T. Tanaka, PRL 114 (2015)044801]. The pump-probe THz/X-ray/optical configuration is discussed