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Optics Express

Optics Express

  • Editor: C. Martijn de Sterke
  • Vol. 18, Iss. 25 — Dec. 6, 2010
  • pp: 26517–26524

Optics InfoBase > Optics Express > Volume 18 > Issue 25 > Page 26517

A simple optical spectral calibration technique for pulsed THz sources

Frans J. P. Wijnen, Giel Berden, and Rienk T. Jongma  »View Author Affiliations


Optics Express, Vol. 18, Issue 25, pp. 26517-26524 (2010)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.18.026517


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Abstract

We have quantified the sensitivity of a simple method to measure the frequency spectrum of pulsed terahertz (THz) radiation. The THz pulses are upconverted to the optical regime by sideband generation in a zinc telluride (ZnTe) crystal using a continuous wave (cw) narrow-bandwidth near-infrared laser. A single-shot spectral measurement of sideband pulses with a high resolution spectrometer directly provides the spectral information of the THz pulses without the need of adjustable elements in the detection setup. This method has been applied at the free electron laser FELIX, where, for a wavelength of 150 μm (2 THz), pulse trains of 5 μs duration with an integrated energy of 800 nJ, as well as single pulses with an energy as low as 13 nJ could be characterized on a single-shot basis.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

OCIS Codes
(120.0120) Instrumentation, measurement, and metrology : Instrumentation, measurement, and metrology
(120.4640) Instrumentation, measurement, and metrology : Optical instruments
(190.2620) Nonlinear optics : Harmonic generation and mixing
(190.7220) Nonlinear optics : Upconversion
(040.2235) Detectors : Far infrared or terahertz

ToC Category:
Instrumentation, Measurement, and Metrology

History
Original Manuscript: October 20, 2010
Revised Manuscript: November 24, 2010
Manuscript Accepted: November 25, 2010
Published: December 2, 2010

Citation
Frans J. P. Wijnen, Giel Berden, and Rienk T. Jongma, "A simple optical spectral calibration technique for pulsed THz sources," Opt. Express 18, 26517-26524 (2010)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-18-25-26517


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