Optical tunneling of single-cycle terahertz bandwidth pulses

Abstract

We report time-domain measurements with subpicosecond resolution of optical tunneling of terahertz electromagnetic pulses undergoing frustrated total internal reflection. Measurements of the transmitted electromagnetic pulses over a 3 THz bandwidth permits direct determination of frequency-dependent phase and amplitude changes in both the thin and opaque barrier limits in a single measurement. A complex frequency response function describing propagation through the barrier is developed based upon linear dispersion theory and the Fresnel coefficients at complex angles in the optical barrier. Our measurements are in excellent agreement with this theoretical model across the experimentally determined bandwidth; the model makes no assumptions about the beam path through the barrier and has no adjustable parameters. The theory is shown to satisfy the Kramers-Kronig relations, indicating causal propagation across the barrier.