Undistorted guided-wave propagation of subpicosecond terahertz pulses

We report efficient quasi-optic coupling of a freely propagating beam of terahertz (THz) pulses into a parallel-plate copper waveguide (with a plate separation of 108 mum) and subsequent low-loss, single-TEM-mode propagation with virtually no group-velocity dispersion. Undistorted, low-loss propagation of the incoming 0.3-ps FWHM THz pulses was observed within the bandwidth from 0.1 to 4 THz for a length of 24.4 mm. We compare experimentally derived values for the absorption and phase velocity with theory to show consistency. This demonstration is direct proof of the excellent performance of the parallel-plate waveguide as a wideband THz interconnect. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.