Abstract
The second-order processes of optical-rectification and photoconduction are well known and widely used to produce ultrafast electromagnetic pulses in the terahertz frequency domain. We present a new form of rectification that relies on the excitation of surface plasmons in metal films deposited on a shallow grating. Multiphoton ionization and ponderomotive acceleration of electrons in the enhanced evanescent field of the surface plasmons results in a femtosecond current surge and emission of terahertz electromagnetic radiation. Using gold, this rectification process is third or higher-order in the incident field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 026803 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Jan 2007 |
Keywords
- optical-rectification
- photoconduction
- electromagnetic pulses
- acceleration