Room-temperature high-average-power strong-field terahertz source based on industrial high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser

Abstract: Free-space strong-field terahertz (THz) pulses, generated via optical rectification of femtosecond lasers in nonlinear crystals, are pivotal in various applications. However, conventional Ti:sapphire lasers struggle to produce high-average-power THz due to their limited output power. While kilowatt ytterbium lasers are increasingly adopted, their application in THz generation faces challenges: low optical-to-THz conversion efficiency (attributed to long pulse durations and low energy) and crystal damage under high pumping power. Here, we report a high-average-power strong-field THz source using a lithium niobate crystal pumped by a 1030-nm, 570-fs, 1-mJ, 50-kHz ytterbium femtosecond laser with tilted pulse front pumping (TPFP). By systematically optimizing TPFP implementations and comparing grating- and echelon-type configurations, we achieve a THz source with 64.5 mW average power at 42-W, 50-kHz pumping, and a focused peak electric field of 525 kV/cm at 0.83-mJ, 1-kHz operation. Additionally, we observe Zeeman torque signals in cobalt-iron ferromagnetic nanofilms. This high-repetition-rate, high-average-power THz system, combined with its potential capabilities in high signal-to-noise spectroscopy and imaging, promises transformative impacts in quantum matter manipulation, non-destructive testing, and biomedicine.