Liquid targets are capable of offering rapid refreshment for per shot, which makes it viable of using high repetition rate lasers. Here, we push the liquid targets to a low temperature condition. By generating a stable flowing line of liquid nitrogen in ambient environment, we successfully observe broadband terahertz wave generation under the excitation of subpicosecond laser pulses. This demonstration provides more possibilities in choosing potential materials for studying the THz wave generation process, and in understanding the laser-induced ionization from a new perspective.
Nonlinear THz spectroscopy extends the full-phase analysis of traditional THz-TDS onto the high-intensity regime. With THz sources reaching peak electric fields in excess of hundreds of kV/cm, it is now possible to induce large index changes in some materials. In the case of liquid water, a nonlinear index of 7.8x10-10 cm2/W is confirmed. This value is large enough to break the perturbative regime when sources with peak electric fields in the MV/cm range are used. In addition, the spectrally resolved nonlinear index dispersion can also be extracted.
Nanoparticles are a favorable way to enhance ionization for ultrashort laser pulse focusing on liquid targets. We experimentally investigate how nanoparticles affect the THz generation from deionized water for different concentrations. However, no obvious enhancement is observed comparing with the signal from deionized water under the same excitation condition. Thus, the concentration of nanoparticles is not a crucial factor to enhance THz wave generation within the order of 10^8~10^11 particles/ml. We believe our results provide useful information on enhancing the liquid THz emission source by nanoparticles
THz liquid photonics is a new research frontier in laser-matter interaction community. We have successfully demonstrated THz wave generation from ionized liquids, including from liquid water, liquid nitrogen, and liquid gallium. Preferable to general targets, a flowing liquid line provides a fresh area for each excitation pulse, so the chaos and debris caused by the previous pulse will not influence the next one. This makes it possible of using a kHz repetition rate laser for excitation. THz wave generation from ionized liquids presents photoionization processes that are different from those in gases.
Computational sampling methods have been implemented to spatially characterize terahertz (THz) fields. Previous methods usually rely on either specialized THz devices such as THz spatial light modulators, or complicated systems requiring assistance from photon-excited free-carriers with high-speed synchronization among multiple optical beams. Here, by spatially encoding an 800 nm near-infrared (NIR) probe beam through the use of an optical SLM, we demonstrate a simple sampling approach that can probe THz fields with a single-pixel camera. This design does not require any dedicated THz devices, semiconductors or nanofilms to modulate THz fields. By using computational algorithms, we successfully measure 128×128 field distributions with a 62 μm transverse spatial resolution, more than 15 times smaller than the central wavelength of the THz signal (940 μm. Benefiting from the non-invasive nature of THz radiation and sub-wavelength resolution of our system, this simple approach can be used in applications such as biomedical sensing, inspection of flaws in industrial products, and so on.
Terahertz (THz) wave generation from laser-induced air plasma generally requires a short temporal laser pulse. In contrast, it was observed that THz radiation from ionized liquid water prefers a longer pulse, wherein the mechanism remains unclear. We attribute the preference for longer pulse duration to the process of ionization and plasma formation in water, which is supported by a numerical simulation result showing that the highest electron density is achieved with a subpicosecond pulse. The explanation is further verified by the coincidence of our experimental result and simulation when the thickness of the water is varied. Other liquids are also tested to assure the preference for such a pulse is not exclusive to water.
Nowadays, lasers, as innovation tools, provide extraordinary opportunities in a wide range of material processing and manufacturing applications. Here, we present using an ultra-short laser to fabricate a flute in a university’s lab on a syringe needle. By finely controlling the laser power and drilling time, holes can be drilled at one side but not penetrate the whole needle. With a set of holes arranged in a straight line, the needle acts as a “flute” when the gas flows into it. A microphone measures its acoustic frequency. Different tones were observed by changing the resonance length of the needle. Our work demonstrates the fabrication and testing of miniature flute on a syringe needle.
We show experimental results on the generation of terahertz radiation in at jets of modified water and various liquids. We compare the change in the efficiency of the THz waves generation with a change in the pH and kH values, as well as the salt concentration in water and the fat level in milk. Dependences of the terahertz radiation energy on the pump pulse energy are demonstrated.
Liquid water was not considered as a favorable terahertz (THz) source due to its strongly absorption in THz frequency range. Recently, it has been experimentally demonstrated that broadband THz wave can be generated from liquid water under the excitation of ultrashort laser pulses. Here, we present the measured result of liquid lines as THz emitters. Selected liquids with different polarity, salinity and temperature on THz wave generation are investigated. Comparing with water with high polarity, lower polarity liquids produce stronger THz radiation with a broader bandwidth. α-pinene, a non-polar liquid produces strongest THz signals among all liquids we tested. Saline solutions produce weaker THz radiation compare to pure water. The THz signals from temperature with 8 ℃, 18℃, and 40℃ show marginal difference under our experiment’s conditions. In addition, sugar, acid, alkali solutions and a variety of milks were also tested. Our observations show that non-polar liquids are in favor than polar liquid as alternative THz sources.
In this work, we considered mixtures of ethanol and water in the form of jets as samples for THz generation based on laser-induced filamentation. The dependence of the output energy of terahertz radiation on the concentration of ethanol in water was experimentally studied. It is shown that the energy grows linearly, which can be explained by an increase in the ionization energy due to the linear replacement of low-efficient charge carriers (water) with highly-efficient (ethanol). The dependence of the THz generation on the optical angle of incidence on the mixture jets was also demonstrated. The results of this study can be further used to create universal source of terahertz radiation.
When an intense ultrafast laser pulse is focused into a free-flowing water film, broadband terahertz (THz) radiation is emitted through the interaction between strong laser fields and liquid water molecules. Experimental results show that THz waves generated from liquid water have very different characteristics in comparison to those from other THz sources such as solids and gases. The mechanism for the THz wave generation process is currently attributed to the plasma formation in the bulk water. This demonstration may find potential applications in biological imaging and provide new tools in the field of nonlinear laser-liquid interactions.
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