THz generation and spatiotemporal variation of two cross-focused Gaussian laser pulses in plasma

Abstract

The impact of spatial and temporal evolution of nonlinear mixing of two Gaussian laser pulses propagating in plasma on generation of terahertz (THz) radiation have been investigated taking into account the ponderomotive nonlinearity. By calculating the modified electron density of plasma caused by the finite ponderomotive force of the pump lasers and using wave equation and paraxial ray approximation, two coupled governing equations for temporal and spatial pulse-width parameters have been derived. The electric field of the THz wave as a result of nonlinear current density induced by the beat ponderomotive force of the pulses was extracted. Combined effects of initial laser and plasma parameters on the behavior of self-compression and self-focusing as well as THz radiation generation were investigated. The numerical results indicated a considerable spatiotemporal compression takes place within a specific range of laser intensity, exhibiting a saturation intensity point where the compression process reaches its maximum extent. It is observed that the generated THz radiation also strongly depends on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the pump pulses. The maximum THz amplitude corresponds to the strongest pump pulse compression extent.