Source: Photonics Online.

Newport Corporation introduces the new terahertz (THz) pulse generation kit using a sub-35-fs Ti:sapphire amplifier system. The kit can be easily integrated with a Ti:sapphire amplifier to generate terahertz pulses which can be further used for linear, nonlinear, and time-resolved spectroscopy applications.

The THz pulse generation kit utilizes standard Newport optics, opto-mechanics, manual stages, and CONEX-based motorized solutions to provide high performance and accuracy. The 800 nm Ti:sapphire laser pulse (1 kHz, ~ 300 µJ per pulse) is focused into ambient air to generate the air plasma which produces THz pulses. With this innovative design, the damage threshold is not a concern as the air replenishes itself from pulse to pulse. The generated THz pulse has the oscillation that spans about 1 ps and has the estimated pulse energy of 0.1 ¨C 0.3 nJ per pulse. Furthermore, the ability to recover the phase and the amplitude information of the THz field through electro-optic sampling enables the kit to function as aTHz spectrometer, without further modification.

Keshav Kumar, Product Marketing Manager, Optics & Technology and Applications Center (TAC) Products, Newport Corporation, notes, ¡°Our new air plasma based THz pulse generation kit is a preconfigured and versatile solution for researchers. It integrates Newport¡¯s existing world class standard photonics components to provide higher performance and superior reliability. It can be easily integrated with amplifier-based laser systems to generate high energy Terahertz pulses for several demanding applications. These include characterization of nanomaterials, detecting security sensitive explosives, biomolecular spectroscopy, and telecommunication applications. We are proud to introduce this exciting, new easy-to-use and economical solution to the research community.¡±