Terahertz radiation, which lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, is being explored as a possible solution to meet the ever-growing demand for high data transfer rates. However, at these frequencies, strong absorption peaks due to water vapour in the air impose strict limitations on wireless communication. Here, we use a detector relying on a nonlinear optical upconversion technique to characterize spectral transmission of specific bands between 0.5 THz and 3 THz under normal atmospheric conditions. We classify these bands into two categories aiming at different applications: short-range secured communication and long-range high data transfer rates.
Overcoming technical performance limitations in the detection and characterization of terahertz (THz) radiation will enable ground-breaking scientific advances from the study of fast and non-reproducible phenomena to enabling THz quantum applications that require single-photon sensitivity. Electro-optic sampling techniques intrinsically rely on the acquisition of multiple data points to reconstruct the full THz waveform, which leads to long data acquisition times, and prevents the detection of single photons. We have developed two distinct and highly sensitive detection techniques for pulsed THz radiation: i) a single-pulse measurement which employs chirped-pulse spectral encoding and a dispersive Fourier transform method for time-resolved THz spectroscopy at a demonstrated rate of 50 kHz; and ii) a single-THz-photon detection technique based on parametric frequency conversion and single-photon counting technology capable of detecting THz pulses at the zeptojoule level. These extreme detection schemes will lay the foundation for THz applications in the single-pulse and single-photon regimes.
Dispersive Fourier method gives access to spectral information by mapping them in the time domain. This facilitates shot-to-shot spectroscopy of rapidly changing systems. We adapted this technique to demonstrate time-resolved THz spectroscopy at 50 kHz repetition rate by encoding the THz waveform onto the spectral components of spectrally broadened (NIR) ultrafast laser pulses.
The rapid acquisition of terahertz (THz) time-domain waveforms is a significant challenge in the study of fast and non-reproducible phenomena. To increase data acquisition rates, the THz waveform can be encoded on spectral components of individual near-infrared (NIR) ultrafast laser pulses. By using dispersive Fourier transform method, where spectral information are mapped in the time domain, we demonstrate time-resolved THz-spectroscopy at an unprecedented rate of 50 kHz. With this technique, we resolve sub-millisecond dynamics of carriers in silicon injected by successive resonant pulses as a saturation density is established.
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