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Transition-Cherenkov radiation of terahertz generated by super-luminous ionization front in femtosecond laser filament

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2010

Guang-Yue Hu ,
Baifei Shen ,
An-Le Lei ,
Ru-Xin Li  and
Zhi-Zhan Xu
Guang-Yue Hu*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China
Baifei Shen
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China
An-Le Lei
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China
Ru-Xin Li
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China
Zhi-Zhan Xu
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Guang-Yue Hu, State Key Laboratory of High Field Laser Physics, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Shanghai 201800, China. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Super-luminous ionization front achieved by using axicon as focus lens is proposed to improve the transition-Cherenkov radiation of terahertz emitted from a femtosecond laser filament in air. Benefitted from the better coherent superposition of radiation electric field generated by dipole-like electron current behind the ionization front, the terahertz radiation in far zone is enhanced by one order when the velocity of ionization front exceeds the light speed. Moreover, the radiation spectrum extends toward high frequency and covers the entire terahertz gap.

Keywords

Laser filamentSuper-luminous ionization frontTerahertzTransition-Cherenkov
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 399 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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