Enhanced THz Radiation from Spatially Inhomogeneous Fields

Nonlinear terahertz (THz) radiation from gas media usually relies on the asymmetric laser-induced current produced by ultra-intense two-color laser fields with a specific phase delay. Here a new scheme is proposed and theoretically investigated, in which the radiation is generated by spatially inhomogeneous fields induced by relatively low-intensity monochromatic lasers and an array of single triangular metallic nanostructures. Our simulations are based on the classical photocurrent model and the time-dependent Schrödinger equations separately. It is found that the collective motion of the ionized electrons can be efficiently controlled by the inhomogeneous field, resulting in strong residual currents. The intensity of the THz radiation could be enhanced by about two orders of magnitude by increasing the spatial inhomogeneity of the field.