Abstract

A relatively new far-infrared light source is provided by femtosecond terahertz (fs THz) pulses. These pulses are generated by the excitation of charge carriers in a semiconductor material with ultrashort pulses of above bandgap light¹ There are several important difference between this type of pulse and conventional pulsed laser sources, however. One is that these pulses are approximately 1/2 optical cycle long. Another difference is that the electric field itself, rather than the intensity, is measured.

© 1997 Optical Society of America