Few-Cycle Laser Pulses: The Carrier-Envelope Phase, Its Role in the THz Emission from Laser-Generated Plasmas and a New Way to Measure It

• Authors: M. Kress , T. Löffler , M. Thomson , H. Roskos , R. Dörner , H. Gimpel , K. Zrost , T. Ergler , R. Moshammer , U. Morgner , J. Ullrich
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Terahertz emission from laser-generated air plasmas has recently been identified as an interesting source for THz radiation. High intensities and a large bandwidth of the THz pulses can be achieved. We briefly review several mechanisms which were employed to generate the quasi-static dipole moment needed for the optical rectification process. This leads us to a discussion of a specific application of THz emission from an air plasma, namely the investigation of the carrier-envelope phase of few-cycle optical pulses. Such pulses of a duration of less than 10 fs induce a spatial charge asymmetry in the plasma directly via non-linear tunneling ionization. The asymmetry, and with it the emission of the THz radiation from the plasma, depend on the carrier-envelope phase, with the consequence that one can determine the phase by measurement of the amplitude and polarity of the THz pulse.

Keywords

EN

42.65.Re; 72.30.+q; 78.47.-p

Discipline

• 78.47.-p: Spectroscopy of solid state dynamics
• 42.65.Re: Ultrafast processes; optical pulse generation and pulse compression(for ultrafast spectroscopy, see 78.47.J-; for ultrafast magnetization dynamics, see 75.78.Jp)
• 72.30.+q: High-frequency effects; plasma effects

• Publisher: Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Acta Physica Polonica A
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 113
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 769-776

Dates

published

2008-03

received

2007-08-26

Contributors

author

M. Kress

• Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt (M), Germany

author

T. Löffler

• Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt (M), Germany

author

M. Thomson

• Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt (M), Germany

author

H. Roskos

• Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt (M), Germany

author

R. Dörner

• Institut fűr Kernphysik, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt (M), Germany

author

H. Gimpel

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

author

K. Zrost

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

author

T. Ergler

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

author

R. Moshammer

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

author

U. Morgner

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

author

J. Ullrich

• Max-Planck-Institut fűr Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

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Identifiers

DOI

10.12693/APhysPolA.113.769