Paper | Title | Page |
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WEPD54 | Characterization of Single-cycle THz Pulses at the CTR Source at FLASH | 500 |
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At the coherent transition radiation source at the free-electron laser in Hamburg (FLASH) at DESY, single-cycle THz pulses with electric field strengths exceeding one MV/cm are generated. We present the temporal and spatial characterization of this source with the technique of electro-optic sampling using a laser system synchronized with the accelerator to better than 100 fs. This method offers a quantitative detection of the electric field of the THz pulses in the time domain. Compared to other electron-accelerator driven sources like undulator radiation, the transition radiation source provides pulses with a high bandwidth and durations shorter than one picosecond. This enables time-resolving and non-destructive experiments with radiation in the THz regime including THz pump / THz probe experiments. Broadband and intense THz pulses are expected to be valuable tools for the study of dynamics of excitation of complex materials in transient electric and magnetic fields. | ||