Intense widely controlled terahertz radiation from laser-driven wires

Irradiation of a thin metallic wire with an intense femtosecond laser pulse creates a strong discharge wave that travels as a narrow pulse along the wire surface. This traveling discharge efficiently emits secondary radiation with spectral characteristics that are mostly defined by the wire geometry. Several examples of designs are considered here in the context of generation of intense terahertz radiation with controllable characteristics for various scientific and technological applications. The proposed setup may be easily realized, and it has the merits of robustness, versatility, and high conversion efficiency (reaching several percent) of laser energy to terahertz radiation.