Speaker
Description
Terahertz (THz) driven dielectric lined waveguides (DLW) have recently been demonstrated to provide relativistic acceleration, femtosecond control of electron beams and longitudinal beam diagnostics via THz-driven streaking. [1] But to achieve optimal efficiency, these structures need narrowband sources at a target frequency and precise timing with high THz pulse energies (on the order of several hundred µJ). Periodically poled lithium niobate wafer stacks (PPLN-WS) are an excellent source for meeting these requirements, demonstrating narrow bandwidth THz pulse generation at energies over 1 mJ when driven by a Joule-level laser system. [2] But whilst optical rectification in PPLN as a method of THz generation is well understood, the impact of utilising wafer stacks to take advantage of this is still under exploration, as the hand-stacked nature of these sources raises questions on inter-wafer gaps, laser propagation through the stack and thermal accumulation effects from higher repetition rate systems. To further improve the efficiency of these stacks and better match the requirements of THz acceleration, we have explored the impact of temperature and polarisation as tools to optimise and tune these sources. [3,4] Using these advancements, we hope to solidify PPLN-WS as a crucial source for driving THz DLWs, which are at the forefront of compact beam control and manipulation.
[1]: M.T. Hibberd et al., “Acceleration of relativistic beams using laser-generated terahertz pulses.”, Nat. Photonics 14, August 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-020-0674-1
[2]: F. Lemery et al. “Highly scalable multicycle THz production with a homemade periodically poled macrocrystal.”, Commun Phys 3, August 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-020-00421-2
[3]: P. J. Dalton et al., “Cryogenically cooled periodically poled lithium niobate wafer stacks for multi-cycle terahertz pulses”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 30, September 2024. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0230877
[4]: P. J. Dalton et al., "Average-power scalability of multi-cycle terahertz sources based on periodically poled lithium niobate stacks," Opt. Lett. 51, January 2026. https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.578791
| Presenting Author | Patrick J. Dalton |
|---|---|
| Is the Presenting Author a PhD Student or Early Career Scientist ? | Yes |
| Area of research | Accelerator technology (including magnets) |