Quasi-TEM mode propagation in twin-wire THz waveguides (Invited Paper)

Abstract

We numerically investigate the trade-offs between the dispersion properties, coupling efficiency, and geometrical constraints in dual-wire (twin-lead) terahertz (THz) waveguides. In particular, we show that their inherent linearly polarized quasi-transverse electromagnetic (TEM) modes exist for waveguide transverse dimensions comparable with the wavelength, enabling significant end-fire coupling ( > 10%) for numericalaperture limited Gaussian beams while supporting a relatively low-dispersion propagation of below 0.5 ps 2 /m, as desired for short-pulse time-domain spectroscopy applications. Starting from the dual-wire structure, we also demonstrate that low-dispersion tapers can be designed to improve coupling efficiency. ©2011 Chinese Optics Letters.