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

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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.