Compact High-Power THz Emission | Argonne National Laboratory

This project focuses on compact high-power terahertz (THz) radiation.

The Josephson effect occurring intrinsically between the CuO₂-bilayers in Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (BSCCO) enables the fabrication of compact sources of coherent THz radiation. Here, we explore the non-linear collective states that arise from the interplay between the synchronization of large arrays of Josephson junctions and non-uniform temperature distribution by patterned heaters to control the formation of hot-spots and investigate their relation to high-power THz emission and the possibility to synchronize large resonator arrays capable of delivering higher emission power.

Compact THZ — BSCCO micro-mesa for THz emission from synchronized intrinsic Josephson junctions due to its layered structure. Right: Temperature maps of the BSCCO resonator. A hot-spot nucleates in the lower left corner and jumps to the center on increasing the bias current.