Krzysztof Iwaszczuk

Flexible metamaterial absorbers for stealth applications at terahertz frequencies

We have wrapped metallic cylinders with strongly absorbing metamaterials. These resonant structures, which are patterned on flexible substrates, smoothly coat the cylinder and give it an electromagnetic response designed to minimize its radar cross section. We compare the normal-incidence, small-beam reflection coefficient with the measurement of the far-field bistatic radar cross section of the sample, using a quasi-planar THz wave with a beam diameter significantly larger than the sample dimensions. In this geometry we demonstrate a near-400-fold reduction of the radar cross section at the design frequency of 0.87 THz. In addition we discuss the effect of finite sample dimensions and the spatial dependence of the reflection spectrum of the metamaterial.

Experimental three-dimensional beam profiling and modeling of a terahertz beam generated from a two-color air plasma

We use a broadband microbolometer array to measure the full three-dimensional (3D) terahertz (THz) intensity profile emitted from a two- color femtosecond plasma and subsequently focused in a geometry useful for nonlinear spectroscopic investigations. Away from the immediate focal region we observe a sharp, conical intensity profile resembling a donut, and in the focal region the beam collapses to a central, Lorentz-shaped profile. The Lorentzian intensity profile in the focal region can be explained by considering the frequency-dependent spot size derived from measurements of the Gouy phase shift in the focal region, and the transition from the donut profile to a central peak is consistent with propagation of a Bessel-Gauss beam, as shown by simulations based on a recent transient photocurrent model (You et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 183902). We combine our measurements to the first full 3D visualization of the conical THz emission from the two-color plasma.

Terahertz field enhancement to the MV/cm regime in a tapered parallel plate waveguide

We investigate field enhancement properties of a tapered parallel plate waveguide for ultrashort terahertz (THz) pulses. We use two independent methods, air biased coherent detection inside the waveguide and free-space electro-optic sampling, respectively, which enables a calibrated, quantitative measurement of the field strength at the output of the waveguide. Field enhancement factors greater than 20 are demonstrated and record-high field strengths of > 1.4 MV/cm are reached. We find an excellent agreement between the two independent methods of field measurement and a numerical 3D full-vectorial time-domain simulations.

Terahertz radar cross section measurements

We present the result of terahertz radar cross section measurements on various objects including models of aircraft fighters. Application of a time domain system provides both values of radar cross section and ranging information.

Nitrogen plasma formation through terahertz-induced ultrafast electron field emission

Electron microscopy and electron diffraction techniques rely on electron sources. Those sources require strong electric fields to extract electrons from metals, either by the photoelectric effect, driven by multiphoton absorption of strong laser fields, or in the static field emission regime. Terahertz (THz) radiation, commonly understood to be nonionizing due to its low photon energy, is here shown to produce electron field emission. We demonstrate that a carrier-envelope phase-stable single-cycle optical field at THz frequencies interacting with a metallic microantenna can generate and accelerate ultrashort and ultrabright electron bunches into free space, and we use these electrons to excite and ionize ambient nitrogen molecules near the antenna. The associated UV emission from the gas forms a novel THz wave detector, which, in contrast with conventional photon-counting or heat-sensitive devices, is ungated and sensitive to the peak electric field in a strongly nonlinear fashion.

Impact ionization in high resistivity silicon induced by an intense terahertz field enhanced by an antenna array

We report on the observation of ultrafast impact ionization and carrier generation in high resistivity silicon induced by intense subpicosecond terahertz transients. Local terahertz peak electric fields of several MV cm−1 are obtained by field enhancement in the near field of a resonant metallic antenna array. The carrier multiplication is probed by the frequency shift of the resonance of the antenna array due to the change of the local refractive index of the substrate. Experimental results and simulations show that the carrier density in silicon increases by over seven orders of magnitude in the presence of an intense terahertz field. The enhancement of the resonance shift for illumination from the substrate side in comparison to illumination from the antenna side is consistent with our prediction that the back illumination is highly beneficial for a wide range of nonlinear processes.

Simultaneous reference and differential waveform acquisition in time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy

We present a new method for data acquisition in time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy experiments. Our approach is based on simultaneous collection of reference and differential THz scans. Both the optical THz generation beam and the pump beam are modulated at two different frequencies that are not harmonic with respect to each other. Our method allows not only twice as fast data acquisition but also minimization of noise connected to slowly varying laser power fluctuations and timing instabilities. Our use of the nonlinear crystal N-benzyl-2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (BNA) enables time-resolved THz spectroscopy to beyond 5 THz, thereby highlighting that the presented method is especially valuable at higher frequencies where phase errors in the data acquisition become increasingly important.

Ultrabroadband terahertz conductivity of highly doped ZnO and ITO

The broadband complex conductivities of transparent conducting oxides (TCO), namely aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), were investigated by terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the frequency range from 0.5 to 18 THz using air plasma techniques, supplemented by the photoconductive antenna (PCA) method. The complex conductivities were accurately calculated using a thin film extraction algorithm and analyzed in terms of the Drude conductivity model. All the measured TCOs have a scattering time below 15 fs. We find that a phonon response must be included in the description of the broadband properties of AZO and GZO for an accurate extraction of the scattering time in these materials, which is strongly influenced by the zinc oxide phonon resonance tail even in the low frequency part of the spectrum. The conductivity of AZO is found to be more thickness dependent than GZO and ITO, indicating high importance of the surface states for electron dynamics in AZO. Finally, we measure the transmittance of the TCO films from 10 to 200 THz with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements, thus closing the gap between THz-TDS measurements (0.5-18 THz) and ellipsometry measurements (200-1000 THz).

Permanently reconfigured metamaterials due to terahertz induced mass transfer of gold

We present a new technique for permanent metamaterial reconfiguration via optically induced mass transfer of gold. This mass transfer, which can be explained by field-emission induced electromigration, causes a geometric change in the metamaterial sample. Since a metamaterials electromagnetic response is dictated by its geometry, this structural change massively alters the metamaterials behavior. We show this by optically forming a conducting pathway between two closely spaced dipole antennas, thereby changing the resonance frequency by a factor of two. After discussing the physics of the process, we conclude by presenting an optical fuse that can be used as a sacrificial element to protect sensitive components, demonstrating the applicability of optically induced mass transfer for device design.

Non-invasive terahertz field imaging inside parallel plate waveguides

We present a non-invasive broadband air photonic method of imaging of the electric field of THz pulses propagating inside a tapered parallel plate waveguide. The method is based on field-enhanced second harmonic generation of the fundamental laser beam in an external electric field. We apply the technique to measure the frequency-dependent reflection coefficient at the end of the waveguide.