Waveguide Emitters and Coherent Detectors for a Compact, Robust Terahertz Spectroscopy System

目的：我们建议开发新的波导为基础的发射器和探测器，允许在扩展的相互作用长度的宽带太赫兹操作。这种扩展的相互作用预计将允许小尺寸，低功率超快光纤激光器取代当前的桌面系统。本研究的目标是探索利用这些波导器件构建一个紧凑的太赫兹时域光谱系统。所提出的器件采用嵌入在单模THz波导内的单模电介质光波导。智力优点：我们打算探索一种全新的方法，实现宽带操作的太赫兹发射器和探测器显着提高转换效率。虽然有一个合理的知识体系关于使用自由空间非线性光学过程的宽带太赫兹应用，很少有人知道使用波导的这种能力。我们希望能够在这个项目中直接解决这个问题。更广泛的影响：主要影响是对研究生教育的教育，这将以两种不同但平行的方式实现。首先，研究生将在这个项目的过程中获得重要的实践经验。第二，PI已经开发了两个新的研究生水平的超快光学和非线性光学课程。此外，该项目预计将通过开发全新的技术对社会产生重大影响，我们相信这将有利于广泛的科学界。

Objective: We propose to develop novel waveguide-based emitters and detectors that allow for broadband THz operation over extended interaction lengths. This extended interaction is expected to allow for small form factor, low power ultrafast fiber lasers to replace current tabletop systems. The goal of the proposed research is to explore the use these waveguide devices to build a compact THz time-domain spectroscopy system. The proposed devices employ a single mode dielectric optical waveguide embedded within a single mode THz waveguide. Intellectual merits: We intend to explore a fundamentally new approach for achieving broadband operation of THz emitters and detectors with significantly increased conversion efficiency. While there is a reasonable body of knowledge regarding the use of free-space nonlinear optical processes for broadband THz applications, very little is known about the use of waveguides for such capabilities. We hope to be able to directly address this issue within this project. Broader impact: The primary impact is on the education of graduate student education, which will be fulfilled in two distinct, yet parallel, ways. First, graduate students will obtain significant hands-on experience during the course of this project. Second, the PI has developed two new graduate level courses in Ultrafast Optics and Nonlinear Optics. In addition, this project is expected to have significant impact on society through the development of fundamentally new technology, which we believe will be beneficial to a broad range of scientific communities.