Compact, portable, and widely-tunable THz source based on intracavity frequency mixing inside Nd:LSB laser: a novel approach

目的：实现一种结构紧凑、携带方便、可调谐的太赫兹光源，该光源基于激光波长约为1微米的双频Nd：LSb激光器中的带隙晶体的腔内混频。因此，通过将带隙晶体置于NdLSb激光器中，这种系统可以有效地产生在宽波长范围内可调谐的THz波。这样的太赫兹源将在室温下工作。没有其他太赫兹源可以与这种建议的太赫兹源竞争。智力优势：智力优势是基于一个潜在的变革性概念。这是迄今为止最有效的方法之一，因为这种固体激光器内的混合光束的峰值强度是最高的之一。在太赫兹源的性能方面，建议的方法优于所有其他混频过程。更广泛的影响是：可能有少数人或女学生参与进行拟议的研究，将在资助期内获得的研究成果整合到三个演示中，用于课堂教学、本科生和研究生实验室、高中生夏令营和年度校园招募活动，以及由紧凑、便携和可广泛调谐的太赫兹源驱动太赫兹波应用的新时代。

Objective:The objective of this program is to implement a compact, portable, and widely-tunable THz source based on intracavity frequency mixing in a GaP crystal inside a dual-frequency Nd:LSB laser at the laser wavelengths of around 1 µm. Nd:LSB is probably one of very few lasers emitting radiation around 1 µm with a sufficiently wide bandwidth.Therefore, by placing a GaP crystal inside a Nd:LSB laser, such a system can be used for efficiently generating THz waves tunable within a wide wavelength range. Such a THz source will be working at room temperature. There is no other THz source which can compete with such a proposed THz source.Intellectual merit:The intellectual merit is based on a potentially transformative concept. It is one of the most efficient approaches to date since the peak intensities of the mixing beams inside such a solid-state laser are among the highest. The proposed approach is superior to all other frequency-mixing processes regardless of intracavity or outercavity, in terms of the performance of the THz source.Broader impacts:The broader impacts are the possible participation of a minority or female student for conducting the proposed research, integration of the research results obtained during the funding period into three demos for classroom teaching, labs for undergraduate and graduate students, high-school student summer camps, and annual campus recruitment events, and new eras for the applications of THz waves to be driven by the compact, portable, and widely-tunable THz source.