Fiber-based frequency conversion of near-infrared lasers for efficient generation of terahertz (THz) radiation

这个Engage项目将为基于光子晶体光纤的高效便携式太赫兹（THz）辐射脉冲源的开发铺平道路。这些太赫兹辐射源是安大略省TeTechS公司制造的工业和科学设备的关键部件。不幸的是，目前TeTechS所采用的产生太赫兹辐射的方法使用了昂贵且相当复杂的800纳米激光器。在这个Engage项目中提出的研究将允许曼尼托巴大学的Major教授领导的激光工程小组与TeTechS密切合作来解决这个问题。这将通过开发基于1000纳米工作的简单高效激光器的太赫兹辐射源来实现。短期内的努力将指向三个主要目标：1)在1000纳米的紧凑脉冲激光源的发展，将使其辐射有效地转换到800纳米范围；2)研究了利用专用光子晶体光纤将激光辐射波长转换到800纳米范围的最佳条件；3)开发太赫兹测量装置，然后使用开发的激光器在800 nm处对产生的太赫兹辐射进行完整的表征。预计拟议的研究将为新一代紧凑高效的太赫兹源奠定基础。所提出的概念的简单性将提供一个用户友好和紧凑的脉冲800纳米辐射源，能够提供宽带太赫兹脉冲。该光源的主要元素，由一种特殊的光子晶体光纤组成，可能会带来优异而可靠的特性，这是成功商业化的先决条件，即使在这个项目的短时间内。最后，从这个项目中产生的新知识，以及与这项工作的不同阶段相关的高素质人才的培训，肯定会对加拿大对太赫兹市场的总体影响做出贡献，从而提高加拿大在高科技领域的全球竞争力。

This Engage project will pave the way for the development of an efficient portable source of Terahertz (THz)radiation pulses based on a photonic crystal fiber. Such sources of THz radiation are the key components in theindustrial and scientific equipment that is manufactured by the TeTechS company in Ontario. Unfortunately,current method of generation of THz radiation employed at TeTechS uses expensive and fairly complex lasersoperating at 800 nm. The proposed research in this Engage project will allow a laser engineering group headedby Prof Major at the University of Manitoba in close collaboration with TeTechS to address this problem. Thiswill be done by developing sources of THz radiation based on simple and efficient lasers operating at 1000 nm.The short term effort will be directed towards three main objectives: 1) the development of a compact pulsedlaser source at 1000 nm that will enable efficient conversion of its radiation into the 800 nm range; 2) theinvestigation of the the optimum conditions for wavelength conversion of the laser radiation into the 800 nmrange using a specialized photonic crystal fiber; 3) development of a THz measurement setup, followed by thecomplete characterization of the generated THz radiation using the developed laser at 800 nm. It is anticipatedthat the proposed research will prepare the ground for a new generation of compact and efficient THz sources.The simplicity of the proposed concept will provide a user friendly and compact source of pulsed 800 nmradiation capable of delivering broadband THz pulses. The main element of the source, consisting of a specialphotonic crystal fiber, may lead to excellent and reliable characteristics that are a prerequisite for successfulcommercialization, even in the short time span of this project. Finally, the new knowledge generated from thisproject and the training of highly qualified personnel associated with the different stages of this work willcertainly contribute to the Canadian impact on the THz market in general, thus enhancing Canada's globalcompetitiveness in high-tech sector.