Nearly Single-Cycle Terahertz Pulse Generation in Aperiodically Poled Lithium Niobate

In the present work, an opportunity of nearly single-cycle THz pulse generation in aperiodically poled lithium niobate (APPLN) crystal is studied. A radiating antenna model is used to simulate the THz generation from chirped APPLN crystal pumped by a sequence of femtosecond laser pulses with chirped delays (m = 1, 2, 3 …) between adjacent pulses. It is shown that by appropriately choosing Δtm, it is possible to obtain temporal overlap of all THz pulses generated from positive (or negative) domains. This results in the formation of a nearly single-cycle THz pulse if the chirp rate of domain length δ in the crystal is sufficiently large. In the opposite case, a few cycle THz pulses are generated with the number of the cycles depending on δ. The closed-form expression for the THz pulse form is obtained. The peak THz electric field strength of 0.3 MV/cm is predicted for APPLN crystal pumped by a sequence of laser pulses with peak intensities of the separate pulse in the sequence of about 20 GW/cm2. By focusing the THz beam and increasing the pump power, the field strength can reach values in the order of few MV/cm.