In this work, it has been demonstrated that in order to fully understand the terahertz (THz) pulse generation process during femtosecond laser filamentation, the interaction between THz wave and air plasma has to be taken into account. This interaction is mainly associated with the spatial confinement of the THz pulse by the plasma column, which could be described by the one-dimensional negative dielectric (1DND) waveguide model. By combining the 1DND model with the conventional four-wave mixing (4WM) and photocurrent (PC) models, the variation of THz spectral amplitude and width obtained in experiments could be better understood. Finally, a three-step procedure, with 1DND bridging 4WM and PC processes, has been established for the first time to describe the underlying mechanism of THz radiation from plasma sources.

In this work, we show how fiber-based terahertz systems can be robustly configured for accurate terahertz ellipsometry. To this end, we explain how our algorithms can be successfully applied to achieve accurate spectroscopic ellipsometry with a high tolerance on the imperfect polarizer extinction ratio and pulse shift errors. Highly accurate characterization of transparent, absorptive, and conductive samples comprehensively demonstrates the versatility of our algorithms. The improved accuracy we achieve is a fundamental breakthrough for reflection-based measurements and overcomes the hurdle of phase uncertainty.

To seek high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is critical but challenging for single-shot intense terahertz (THz) coherent detection. This paper presents an improved common-path spectral interferometer for single-shot THz detection with a single chirped pulse as the probe for THz electro-optic (EO) sampling. Here, the spectral interference occurs between the two orthogonal polarization components with a required relative time delay generated with only a birefringent plate after the EO sensor. Our experiments show that this interferometer can effectively suppress the noise usually suffered in a non-common-path interferometer. The measured single-shot SNR is up to 88.85, and the measured THz waveforms are independent of the orientation of the used ZnTe EO sensor, so it is easy to operate and the results are more reliable. These features mean that the interferometer is quite qualified for applications where strong THz pulses, usually with single-shot or low repetition rate, are indispensable.