MV/cm terahertz pulses from relativistic laser-plasma interaction characterized by nonlinear terahertz absorption...

We have developed a tabletop intense broadband terahertz (THz) source in the medium frequency range (≤ 20 THz) based on the interaction of a high-intensity femtosecond laser with solid targets at relativistic laser intensities. When an unpolished copper target is irradiated with a high-intensity femtosecond laser, a maximum of ~2.2 μJ of THz pulse energy is collected and detected with a calibrated pyroelectric detector. The THz spectrum was measured by using a series of bandpass filters, showing a bandwidth of ~7.8 THz full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) with a peak at ~6 THz. With tight focusing to reach high field strengths, we have demonstrated THz nonlinearity exemplified by THz absorption bleaching in a heavily n-doped InGaAs thin film, which enabled us to estimate the peak electric field of the THz pulses. We simulated the experimentally observed bleaching by employing a THz pulse having a bandwidth similar to that measured in our experiments and a temporal profile recoded in single-shot electro-optic detection. Through the simulations, we estimate a peak electric field associated with the THz pulses to be 2.5 MV/cm.