Generation of 13.5-mJ Terahertz Radiation from Lithium Niobate Materials

Extremely strong-field terahertz (THz) radiation in free space has compelling applications in nonequilibrium condensed matter state regulation, all-optical THz electron acceleration and manipulation, THz biological effects and so on. However, these practical uses are constrained by the absence of high intensity, high efficiency, high beam quality, and stable solid-state THz light sources. Here, a generation of single-cycle 13.5-mJ extreme THz pulses from cryogenically cooled lithium niobate crystals and a 1.2% energy conversion efficiency from 800 nm to THz are demonstrated experimentally using the tilted pulse front technique driven by a home-built 30-fs, 1.2-Joule Ti:sapphire laser amplifier.