Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of terahertz generation with tilted-front optical pulses in a scheme, where the pulse-front tilt is introduced by transmitting the laser pulse through a diffraction grating placed on the boundary of an electro-optic crystal. The analysis accounts for a finite transverse size of the pump laser beam, initial chirp of the laser pulse, and distortion of the tilted-front pulse in the crystal due to angular and material dispersion. Two situations of practical interest are explored—${\mathrm{LiNbO}}_3$ pumped at 0.8 μm wavelength and GaAs pumped at 1.8 μm. Recommendations on increasing the efficiency of the optical-to-terahertz conversion, optimizing the generated terahertz spectrum, and improving the quality of the terahertz beam are given.

© 2014 Optical Society of America

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