Cascaded effect in a high-peak-power terahertz-wave parametric generator

• DOI: 10.1364/ol.441786
• Publication Date: 2021-12-01T13:00:13Z
• Authors: Weifan Li; Feng Qi; Pengxiang Liu; Yelong Wang; Zhaoyang Liu
• Keywords: Optical parametric amplifier; Parametric oscillator; Spontaneous parametric down-conversion

We demonstrate megawatt-level terahertz (THz)-wave generation via a Stokes-seed-injected THz-wave parametric generator and study the cascaded effect. The optical-to-THz conversion efficiency was 1.72 × 10 −3 , peak power conservatively estimated to be 1.09 MW using pulse width of pump. More than 80% energy came from primary generation, with rest coming high-order amplification. Clear Stokes spots second fourth order were observed, factors affecting process are discussed. effect is beneficial for achieving higher efficiency, thereby improving performance high-peak-power sources.