Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
Damage in a Thin Metal Film by High-Power Terahertz Radiation
M B Agranat1, O V Chefonov1, A V Ovchinnikov1
1Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences (JIHT RAS), Izhorskaya 13 Building 2, Moscow 125412, Russian Federation.
Abstract:
We report on the experimental observation of high-power terahertz-radiation-induced damage in a thin aluminum film with a thickness less than a terahertz skin depth. Damage in a thin metal film produced by a single terahertz pulse is observed for the first time. The damage mechanism induced by a single terahertz pulse could be attributed to thermal expansion of the film causing debonding of the film from the substrate, film cracking, and ablation. The damage pattern induced by multiple terahertz pulses at fluences below the damage threshold is quite different from that observed in single-pulse experiments. The observed damage pattern resembles an array of microcracks elongated perpendicular to the in-plane field direction. A mechanism related to microcracks' generation and based on a new phenomenon of electrostriction in thin metal films is proposed.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Bonding in Metals
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
Radiation: Applications
The average...
Power

