Nonlinear terahertz spectroscopy in solids with single-cycle terahertz pulses

Abstract

We present novel generation methods of intense terahertz single cycle pulses. The Cherenkov scheme with tilted wave-front technique in the LiNbO 3 crystal gives us the maximum electric field larger than 1 MV/cm, which ponderomotive energy is as large as 10 eV. The ponderomotive energy is strong enough to ionize bound electronic states in solids such as donors and accepters and easy to induce nonlinear optical effects in solids. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2013.