There has never been such strong radiation before. Scientists have set a record

Terahertz pulses created by members of the research team lead to rapid ionization of atoms and molecules. It also allows it to be converted into plasma. Details of the research organized by the authors are described in the publication published in Light: Science and Applications.

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As they emphasize, thanks to the progress made, the possibility of implementing nonlinear and highly relativistic terahertz physics in plasmas becomes real. As for terahertz radiation, it has long been considered a candidate for benefits related to, for example, spectroscopy, imaging, detection and communications.

The terahertz fields created by scientists in Korea and the United States have a strength of 260 MeV per centimeter, which compares to a peak intensity of 9 x 10¹3 watts per square centimeter. This is the highest result for terahertz frequencies, so members of the research team can undoubtedly speak of great success.

Scientists from South Korea and the United States broke the record for producing ionizing terahertz radiation

For the purposes of the experiments, the researchers used lasers to convert light energy into terahertz radiation. Its beam was directed at a plate made of lithium niobate containing 5% magnesium oxide. This was supposed to create terahertz radiation with increased energy. As the researchers note, the speed of terahertz waves is frequency dependent and varies significantly between the two phonon resonance frequencies. As a result, there is a frequency at which terahertz pulses and lasers propagate at the same speed.

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An absolute terahertz pulse, if directed at a gaseous or solid medium, can lead to tunneling ionization of atoms or molecules. Then the mentioned medium will be converted into plasma. In previous experiments, scientists fired at solid targets such as metals, semiconductors and polymers.