Ultrafast plasma-based terahertz modulator
Xiaomin Qu, Yindong Huang, Bin Zhou, Mingxin Gao, Jing Lou, Yifei Feng, Zengxiu Zhao, Chao Chang, A. P. Shkurinov, John Verboncoeur
Abstract
Plasma is the optimal choice for acquiring and modulating the extremely high visible and near-infrared light. However, few attempts have been made to apply this strategy for the terahertz (THz) wave modulation in an ex situ manner. Here, we show a laser-driven plasma-based THz modulator (PTM) to ex situ control the incident THz waves. The presented PTM allows for the amplification or extinction of the incident THz waves covering 0.1–2.0 THz within a few picoseconds, simply by adjusting its dipole phase. This modulation is a result of the interaction between the PTM’s dipole and THz wave, which can be accurately reproduced by the spectral analysis method. Our technique offers promising opportunities to explore the plasma-based THz optics and potential applications across different disciplines, such as THz-sensing and near-field THz technology.