title: Coherent single-cycle pulses with MV/cm field strengths from a relativistic transition radiation light source.
abstract: Terahertz (THz) pulses with energies up to 100 μJ and corresponding electric fields up to 1 MV/cm were generated by coherent transition radiation from 500 MeV electron bunches at the free-electron laser Freie-Elektronen-Laser in Hamburg (FLASH). The pulses were characterized in the time domain by electro-optical sampling by a synchronized femtosecond laser with jitter of less than 100 fs. High THz field strengths and quality of synchronization with an optical laser will enable observation of nonlinear THz phenomena.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Research Group for Structural Dynamics, University of Hamburg, Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22607 Hamburg, Germany. matthias.c.hoffmann@mpsd.cfel.de
authors.forename: Matthias C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wesch
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavalleri
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt