• Corpus ID: 219531652

Terahertz Nonlinear Optical Response of Water Vapor

@article{Rasekh2020TerahertzNO,
  title={Terahertz Nonlinear Optical Response of Water Vapor},
  author={Payman Rasekh and Akbar Safari and Murat Yildirim and Ravi Bhardwaj and Jean-Michel M'enard and Ksenia Dolgaleva and Robert W. Boyd},
  journal={arXiv: Optics},
  year={2020}
}

• Payman Rasekh, A. Safari, +4 authors R. Boyd
• Published 8 June 2020
• Physics
• arXiv: Optics

We report on the nonlinear spectroscopy of water vapor at THz frequencies. Atmospheric water vapor has a rich spectrum with several strong resonances at frequencies below 3 THz, falling within the range of operation of most existing THz sources. We observe an extremely large nonlinear response to THz radiation at the positions of these resonances. Using the optical Kerr model for the nonlinear response, we estimate a minimum nonlinear refractive index of the order of 10^2 m^2/W. Our results provide insight into the energy levels of the water molecule and give a more accurate picture of its response to electromagnetic radiation, paving the way to more accurate THz spectroscopy, imaging and sensing systems, and thereby facilitating future emerging THz technologies.