Compact and powerful THz source investigation on laser plasma wakefield injector and dielectric lined structure

Abstract

The advancement of the techniques of producing electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz range (1–20 THz) attracts a wide range of potential applications and the quest for powerful THz sources is ever-increasing. The means to generate THz is an active research field and the energy per pulse is limited due to breakdown of the medium used. In this paper, we propose a compact yet powerful narrowband THz source based on two pillars of active research in the field of novel accelerators: laser plasma wakefield acceleration and high gradient dielectric lined structures. The laser plasma wakefield (LPW) injector is used to provide the relativistic electron bunches to an interaction tube, a dielectric lined waveguide (DLW), in order to generate THz. Due to the high gradient nature of both devices, the combination ends up with a very compact solution for mJ scale THz pulse generation. Potentially these pulses can be used as drivers for nonlinear phenomena in condensed matter, which can be probed using ultrashort x-ray pulses at the same free electron laser facility.