Direct optoelectronic generation and detection of sub-ps-electrical pulses on sub-mm-coaxial transmission lines

We report efficient direct optoelectronic generation of sub-ps-THz pulses on 50 Omega coaxial transmission lines with a 330 mum diameter solid copper outer tube filled with Teflon containing the 80 mum diameter inner conductor. The transmitted pulses after propagating as much as 105 mm were measured at the end of the line with an optoelectronic antenna having sub-ps-time resolution. We observed low-loss, single transverse electromagnetic mode propagation with very little group velocity dispersion. The experimentally derived values for the frequency-dependent absorption are consistent with the theoretical predictions. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.