Terahertz Radiation Produced in Mid-IR Laser-driven Electron Acceleration

Strong long wavelength infrared (LWIR) and terahertz (THz) radiation sources have become an increasing topic of interest for applications such as nonlinear optics and spectroscopy. Laser wakefield acceleration provides a new source of high field LWIR/THz, since the overlap of the drive laser and refractive index profile of the excited plasma wave leads to a frequency downshift of the high energy drive pulse. Mid-IR lasers start with a lower frequency and can therefore achieve more efficient conversion to long wavelengths into the THz range. This poster will present Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations that provide insight into THz yield by analyzing the output frequency spectrum of the electric field in mid-IR laser driven electron acceleration, as well as preliminary experimental results.