Demonstration of a tilted-pulse-front pumped plane-parallel slab terahertz source

A new type of tilted-pulse-front pumped terahertz (THz) source has been demonstrated, which is based on a LiNbO3 plane-parallel slab with an echelon structure on its input surface. Single-cycle pulses of 1 mu J energy and 030 THz central frequency have been generated with 5 x 10(-4) efficiency from such a source. One order-of-magnitude increase in efficiency is expected by pumping a cryogenically cooled echelon of increased size and thickness with a Ti:sapphire laser. The use of a plane-parallel nonlinear optical crystal slab enables straightforward scaling to high THz pulse energies and the production of a symmetric THz beam with a uniform pulse shape for good focusability and high field strength. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America