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Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing
Published on: March 22, 2019
Optical detection of terahertz radiation by using nonlinear parametric upconversion
M Jalal Khan1, Jerry C Chen, Sumanth Kaushik
1MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 244 Wood Street, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420, USA. mjkhan@ll.mit.edu
Optics Letters
|November 21, 2007
Summary
Sensitive room-temperature detection of terahertz (THz) radiation is achieved by upconverting THz waves to the near-infrared spectrum. This novel method uses telecommunications components for efficient THz signal conversion and detection.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Terahertz Spectroscopy
- Nonlinear Optics
Background:
- Terahertz (THz) radiation detection is crucial for various scientific and technological applications.
- Current THz detection methods often require cryogenic cooling, limiting their practical use.
- Developing room-temperature THz detectors is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a sensitive room-temperature detector for terahertz radiation.
- To utilize nonlinear optical upconversion for THz detection.
- To leverage existing telecommunications components for THz sensing.
Main Methods:
- Mixing 700 GHz terahertz radiation with 1550 nm pump light in a bulk Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) crystal.
- Generating an idler wave at 1555.6 nm through nonlinear upconversion.
- Separating and detecting the idler wave using a commercial p-i-n diode.
Main Results:
- Achieved sensitive detection of terahertz radiation at room temperature.
- Demonstrated a terahertz-to-optical photon conversion efficiency of 0.001%.
- Successfully upconverted 700 GHz THz radiation to the near-infrared (1555.6 nm).
Conclusions:
- The developed method enables practical, room-temperature terahertz detection.
- Nonlinear upconversion with telecommunications components offers a viable route for THz sensing.
- This technology has potential applications in THz imaging and spectroscopy.
