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Resonant and nonresonant control over matter and light by intense terahertz transients

Nature Photonics volume 7, pages 680–690 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Electromagnetic radiation in the terahertz (THz) frequency range is a fascinating spectroscopic tool that provides resonant access to fundamental modes, including the motions of free electrons, the rotations of molecules, the vibrations of crystal lattices and the precessions of spins. Consequently, THz waves have been extensively used to probe such responses with high sensitivity. However, owing to recent developments in high-power sources, scientists have started to abandon the role of pure observers and are now exploiting intense THz radiation to engineer transient states of matter. This Review provides an overview and illustrative examples of how the electric and magnetic fields of intense THz transients can be used to control matter and light resonantly and nonresonantly.

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Figure 1: Scheme for controlling matter using strong THz transients.
Figure 2: Resonant THz control over ionic lattice dynamics and molecular rotation.
Figure 3: Manipulating spins with THz magnetic fields.
Figure 4: Resonant THz control over free and bound electrons.
Figure 5: Strong-field THz control.
Figure 6: Controlling light by THz radiation.

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Acknowledgements

T.K. acknowledges support from the DFG grant KA 3305/2-1 and thanks G. Kampfrath, L. Braun, R. K. Campen, M. Gensch, R. Huber, A. Leitenstorfer, S. Mährlein and M. Wolf for support and discussions. K.T. acknowledges support by KAKENHI (no. 23244065 and no. 20104007) from JSPS and MEXT of Japan and thanks M. Nagai, H. Hirori, F. Blanchard, S. Tani, A. Doi and T. Tanaka for collaborations and discussions. K.A.N. acknowledges support from Office of Naval Research grants N00014-09-1-1103 and N00014-06-1-0463.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Tobias Kampfrath

  2. Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Koichiro Tanaka

  3. Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Koichiro Tanaka

  4. CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan

    Koichiro Tanaka

  5. Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Keith A. Nelson

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Correspondence to Tobias Kampfrath, Koichiro Tanaka or Keith A. Nelson.

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Kampfrath, T., Tanaka, K. & Nelson, K. Resonant and nonresonant control over matter and light by intense terahertz transients. Nature Photon 7, 680–690 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.184

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