A hybrid time-domain model for pulsed terahertz dipole antennas

In this paper we study the effect of the length of dipole antennas on the spectrum of the radiated THz signal in pulse-excited opto-electronic terahertz systems. In particular, we investigate the origin of the commonly observed sharp dips that occur in the spectra of photoconductive dipole antennas, and explain them on the basis of reflections of the excitation current pulse that take place at the ends of the antenna. We develop a hybrid time-domain model for the system and show that the predictions of our model are in good agreement with experimental results. [DOI: 10.2971/jeos.2009.09001]