WIAS Preprint No. 1488, (2010)

Ultrafast spatio-temporal dynamics of terahertz generation by ionizing two-color femtosecond pulses in gases



Authors

  • Babushkin, Ihar
  • Kuehn, Wilhelm
  • Köhler, Christian
  • Skupin, Stefan
  • Bergé, Luc
  • Reimann, Klaus
  • Woerner, Michael
  • Herrmann, Joachim
  • Elsaesser, Thomas

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification

  • 78A60 35Q61 35Q60

2008 Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme

  • 42.65.Re, 32.80.Fb, 52.50.Jm, 42.65.-k

Keywords

  • THz light generation, Photoionization, Ultrashort optical pulse propagation

DOI

10.20347/WIAS.PREPRINT.1488

Abstract

We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of spatio-temporal propagation effects in terahertz (THz) generation in gases using two-color ionizing laser pulses. The observed strong broadening of the THz spectra with increasing gas pressure reveals the prominent role of spatio-temporal reshaping and of a plasma-induced blue-shift of the pump pulses in the generation process. Results obtained from (3+1)-dimensional simulations are in good agreement with experimental findings and clarify the mechanisms responsible for THz emission.

Appeared in

  • Phys. Rev. Lett., 105 (2010) pp. 053903/1-053903/4.

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