Terahertz Gas-Phase Spectroscopy Using a Sub-Wavelength Thick Ultrahigh-Q Microresonator.

The terahertz spectrum provides tremendous opportunities for broadband gas-phase spectroscopy, as numerous molecules exhibit strong fundamental resonances in the THz frequency range. However, cutting-edge THz gas-phase spectrometer require cumbersome multi-pass gas cells to reach sufficient sensitivity for trace level gas detection. Here, we report on the first demonstration of a THz gas-phase spectrometer using a sub-wavelength thick ultrahigh-Q THz disc microresonator. Leveraging the microresonator's ultrahigh quality factor in excess of 120,000 as well as the intrinsically large evanescent field, allows for the implementation of a very compact spectrometer without the need for complex multi-pass gas cells. Water vapour concentrations as low as 4 parts per million at atmospheric conditions have been readily detected in proof-of-concept experiments.

Synthesis and Characterisation of Hierarchically Structured Titanium Silicalite-1 Zeolites with Large Intracrystalline Macropores.

The successful synthesis of hierarchically structured titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) with large intracrystalline macropores by steam-assisted crystallisation of mesoporous silica particles is reported. The macropore topology was imaged in 3D by using electron tomography and synchrotron radiation-based ptychographic X-ray computed tomography, revealing interconnected macropores within the crystals accounting for about 30 % of the particle volume. The study of the macropore formation mechanism revealed that the mesoporous silica particles act as a sacrificial macropore template during the synthesis. Silicon-to-titanium ratio of the macroporous TS-1 samples was successfully tuned from 100 to 44. The hierarchically structured TS-1 exhibited high activity in the liquid phase epoxidation of 2-octene with hydrogen peroxide. The hierarchically structured TS-1 surpassed a conventional nano-sized TS-1 sample in terms of alkene conversion and showed comparable selectivity to the epoxide. The flexible synthesis route described here can be used to prepare hierarchical zeolites with improved mass transport properties for other selective oxidation reactions.

Free-space coupling to symmetric high-Q terahertz whispering-gallery mode resonators.

We report on the coupling of a free-space Gaussian beam to symmetric high-quality (Q) whispering-gallery mode resonators (WGMRs) for terahertz (THz) radiation. We achieve very high excitation efficiencies up to 50% to THz WGMs with a Q-factor of 1.5×104 at 0.7 THz. The high coupling efficiencies have been realized by leveraging a Gaussian beam with a nearly diffraction-limited focal spot, as well as readily available low-loss, high-index silicon spheres with diameters comparable to the wavelength. The results convincingly underline the viability of free-space coupling in the THz frequency range.

Anomalous blue-shift of terahertz whispering-gallery modes via dielectric and metallic tuning.

The vast majority of resonant systems show a red-shift for the resonance frequency when a perturbation, e.g., losses, is introduced to the system. In contrast, here we report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the experimental demonstration of both red- and anomalous blue-shifting of whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) using dielectric and metallic substrates. The maximum blue-shift is more than three times as large as the expected red-shift, proving that the anomalous blue-shift is more than a peculiar curiosity. The experiments are performed in the terahertz frequency range with coherent continuous-wave spectroscopy. The results establish dielectric and metallic tuning as a novel and viable approach to tune high-quality WGMs and provide valuable insights into the anomalous blue-shift of WGM cavity systems. The tuning capabilities for these compact monolithic resonators are of significant interest for fundamental science and technological applications alike.

Prism coupling of high-Q terahertz whispering-gallery-modes over two octaves from 0.2 THz to 1.1 THz.

We report on prism coupling of high-quality (high-Q) terahertz (THz) whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) in spherical high resistivity float zone grown silicon (HRFZ-Si) resonators over two octaves from 0.2 THz to 1.1 THz. The WGMs are excited using a HRFZ-Si prism and show unprecedented quality factors of up to 2.2 × 104. A detailed discussion of the phase-and mode-matching criteria of the prism coupling scheme implemented in the continuous wave THz spectroscopy system is presented. The results provide numerous opportunities for passive ultra-broadband high-Q devices operating in the THz frequency range.

Fano resonances in a high-Q terahertz whispering-gallery mode resonator coupled to a multi-mode waveguide.

We report on Fano resonances in a high-quality (Q) whispering-gallery mode (WGM) spherical resonator coupled to a multi-mode waveguide in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. The asymmetric line shape and phase of the Fano resonances detected with coherent continuous-wave (CW) THz spectroscopy measurements are in excellent agreement with the analytical model. A very high Q factor of 1600, and a finesse of 22 at critical coupling is observed around 0.35 THz. To the best of our knowledge this is the highest Q factor ever reported for a THz WGM resonator.

High resolution terahertz spectroscopy of a whispering gallery mode bubble resonator using Hilbert analysis.

We report on data processing for continuous wave (CW) terahertz (THz) spectroscopy measurements based on a Hilbert spectral analysis to achieve MHz resolution. As an example we investigate the spectral properties of a whispering gallery mode (WGM) THz bubble resonator at critical coupling. The experimental verification clearly demonstrates the significant advantages in relative frequency resolution and required acquisition time of the proposed method over the traditional data analysis. An effective frequency resolution, only limited by the precision and stability of the laser beat signal, can be achieved without complex extensions to a standard commercially available CW THz spectrometer.

Densification of Silica Spheres: A New Pathway to Nano-Dimensioned Zeolite-Based Catalysts.

Nanosized materials are expected to play a unique role in the development of future catalytic processes. Herein, pre-prepared and geometrically well-defined amorphous silica spheres are densified into silica-rich zeolites with nanosized dimensions. After the densification, the obtained nanosized zeolites exhibit the same spherical morphology like the starting precursor but characterized by a drastically reduced size, higher density, and high crystallinity. The phase transformation into crystalline zeolite material and the densification effect are achieved through a well-controlled steam-assisted treatment of the larger precursor particles so that the transformation process proceeds always towards the center of the spheres, just like a shrinking process. Furthermore, this procedure is applicable also to commercially available silica particles, as well as aluminum-containing systems (precursors) leading to acidic nano-catalysts with improved catalytic performance.

Metallic and 3D-printed dielectric helical terahertz waveguides.

We investigate guidance of Terahertz (THz) radiation in metallic and 3D-printed dielectric helical waveguides in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1 THz. Our experimental results obtained from THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) measurements are in very good agreement with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. We observe single-mode, low loss and low dispersive propagation of THz radiation in metallic helical waveguides over a broad bandwidth. The 3D-printed dielectric helical waveguides have substantially extended the bandwidth of a low loss dielectric tube waveguide as observed from the experimental and simulation results. The high flexibility of the helical design allows an easy incorporation into bench top THz devices.

Terahertz pulse propagation in 3D-printed waveguide with metal wires component.

We report on the characterization of 3D-printed hollow core Terahertz waveguides with metal wire inclusions over a frequency range of 0.2-1.0 THz using standard THz time-domain spectroscopy. We observe single-mode broadband THz propagation in these waveguides, and measure the loss coefficient and the mode effective phase index. Our measurement data agree well with predicted values obtained from numerical simulations.

Hybrid hollow core fibers with embedded wires as THz waveguides.

We experimentally demonstrate broadband terahertz (THz) pulse propagation through hollow core fibers with two or four embedded Indium wires in a THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) setup. The hybrid mode is guided in the air core region with power attenuation coefficients of 0.3 cm(-1) and 0.5 cm(-1) for the two-wire and four-wire configurations, respectively.

Instantaneous quadrature components or Jones vector retrieval using the Pancharatnam-Berry phase in frequency domain low-coherence interferometry.

We use the Pancharatnam-Berry phase as a multifunctional tool for low-coherence interferometry. This geometric phase shift enables instantaneous retrieval of the quadrature components of the complex interferometric signal. The phase shift is independent of wavelength and allows for a complex conjugate suppression of 40 dB for an optical bandwidth of 115 nm. Furthermore, this paper investigates the versatility of the geometric phase to perform polarization sensitive measurements. The Jones vector of the sample was obtained numerically, allowing sample birefringence and optical axis calculation.

THz propagation in kagome hollow-core microstructured fibers.

We demonstrate single mode terahertz (THz) guidance in hollow-core kagome microstructured fibers over a broad frequency bandwidth. The fibers are characterized using a THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) setup, incorporating specially designed THz lenses to achieve good mode overlap with the fundamental mode field distribution. Losses 20 times lower than the losses of the fiber material are observed in the experiments, as well as broad frequency ranges of low dispersion, characteristic of hollow-core fibers.

Nonlinear optical frequency conversion of an amplified Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) laser.

We report on the highly efficient non-linear optical frequency conversion of the wavelength swept output from a Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) laser. Different concepts for power scaling of FDML lasers by post-amplification with active fibers are presented. A two-stage post-amplification of an FDML laser with an amplification factor of 300 up to a peak power of 1.5 W is used to supply sufficient power levels for non-linear conversion. Using a single-mode dispersion shifted fiber (DSF), we convert this amplified output that covers the region between 1541 nm and 1545 nm to a wavelength range from 1572 nm to 1663 nm via modulation instability (MI). For this four wave mixing process we observe an efficiency of approximately 40%. The anti-Stokes signal between 1435 nm and 1516 nm was observed with lower conversion efficiency. In addition to shifting the wavelength, the effect of MI also enables a substantial increase in the wavelength sweep rate of the FDML laser by a factor of approximately 50 to 0.55 nm/ns.

Scaling law and stability for a noisy quantum system.

We show that a scaling law exists for the near-resonant dynamics of cold kicked atoms in the presence of a randomly fluctuating pulse amplitude. Analysis of a quasiclassical phase-space representation of the quantum system with noise allows a new scaling law to be deduced. The scaling law and associated stability are confirmed by comparison with quantum simulations and experimental data.

Aspheric lenses for terahertz imaging.

We present novel designs for aspheric lenses used in terahertz (THz) imaging. As different surfaces result in different beam shaping properties and in different losses from reflection and absorption, the resultant imaging resolution (i.e. the focal spot size) depends critically on the design approach. We evaluate the different lens designs using Kirchhoff's scalar diffraction theory, and test the predictions experimentally. We also show that our lenses can achieve sub-wavelength resolution. While our lens designs are tested with THz radiation, the design considerations are applicable also to other regions of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

Ballistic and localized transport for the atom optics kicked rotor in the limit of a vanishing kicking period.

We present mean energy measurements for the atom optics kicked rotor as the kicking period tends to zero. A narrow resonance is observed marked by quadratic energy growth, in parallel with a complete freezing of the energy absorption away from the resonance peak. Both phenomena are explained by classical means, taking proper account of the atoms' initial momentum distribution.

Deviations from early-time quasilinear behavior for the atom-optics kicked rotor near the classical limit.

We present experimental measurements of the mean energy for the atom-optics kicked rotor after just two kicks. The energy is found to deviate from the quasilinear value for small kicking periods. The observed deviation is explained by recent theoretical results which include the effect of a nonuniform initial momentum distribution, previously applied only to systems using much colder atoms than ours.

Observation of robust quantum resonance peaks in an atom optics kicked rotor with amplitude noise.

The effect of pulse train noise on the quantum resonance peaks of the atom optics kicked rotor is investigated experimentally. Quantum resonance peaks in the late time mean energy of the atoms are found to be surprisingly robust against all levels of noise applied to the kicking amplitude, while even small levels of noise on the kicking period lead to their destruction. The robustness to amplitude noise of the resonance peak and of the fall-off in mean energy to either side of this peak are explained in terms of the occurrence of stable, epsilon classical dynamics [Nonlinearity 16, 1381 (2003)]] around each quantum resonance.

All-optoelectronic continuous-wave terahertz systems.

We discuss the optoelectronic generation and detection of continuous-wave terahertz (THz) radiation by the mixing of visible/near-infrared laser radiation in photoconductive antennas. We review attempts to reach higher THz output-power levels by reverting from mobility-lifetime-limited photomixers to transit-time-limited p-i-n photodiodes. We then describe our implementation of a THz spectroscopy and imaging-measurement system and demonstrate its imaging performance with several examples. Possible application areas of THz imaging in the biomedical field and in surface characterization for industrial purposes are explored.