A terahertz excitation source based on a dual-lateral-mode distributed Bragg reflector （DBR） laser working in the 1.5 μm range is experimentally demonstrated. By optimizing the width of the ridge waveguide, the fundamental and the first-order lateral modes are obtained from the laser. The mode spacing between the two modes is 9.68 nm, corresponding to a beat signal of 1.21 THz. By tuning the bias currents of the phase and DBR sections, the wavelengths of the two modes can be tuned by 2 nm, with a small strength difference （〈5 dB） and a large side-mode suppression ratio （SMSR 〉 45 dB）.
Broadband terahertz（THz） atmospheric transmission characteristics from 0 to 8 THz are theoretically simulated based on a standard Van Vleck–Weisskopf line shape, considering 1696 water absorption lines and 298 oxygen absorption lines.The influences of humidity, temperature, and pressure on the THz atmospheric absorption are analyzed and experimentally verified with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer（FTIR） system, showing good consistency. The investigation and evaluation on high-frequency atmospheric windows are good supplements to existing data in the low-frequency range and lay the foundation for aircraft-based high-altitude applications of THz communication and radar.
Shi-Bei GuoKai ZhongMao-Rong WangChu LiuYong XiaoWen-Peng WangDe-Gang XuJian-Quan Yao
A face-to-face system of double-layer three-dimensional arrays of H-shaped plasmonic crystals is proposed, and its transmission and filtering properties are investigated in the terahertz regime. Simulation results show that our design has excellent filtering properties. It has an ultra-wide bandgap and passband with steep band-edges, and the transmittance of the passband and the forbidden band are very close to 1 and 0, respectively. As the distance between the two face-to-face plates increases, the resonance frequency exhibits a gradual blueshift from 0.88 THz to 1.30 THz. Therefore, we can dynamically control the bandwidths of bandgap and passband by adding a piezoelectric ceramic plate between the two crystal plates. Furthermore, the dispersion relations of modes and electric field distributions are presented to analyze the generation mechanisms of bandgaps and to explain the location of bandgaps and the frequency shift phenomenon. Due to the fact that our design can provide many resonant modes, the bandwidth of the bandgaps can be greatly broadened. This paper can serve as a valuable reference for the design of terahertz functional devices and three-dimensional terahertz metamaterials.
