Effect of pre-plasma on terahertz radiation from two-color laser plasma filaments in a collinear geometry

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) radiation from air plasma in the presence of pre-plasma in a collinear geometry is investigated experimentally, where the pre-plasma is formed by a pre-pulse with a Gaussian beam profile and the measured THz radiation is driven by a main laser pulse. The pre-plasma has a de-focusing effect for the main pulse passing through it, which reduces the effective length of the plasma filament formed by the main laser pulse for THz radiation. It is found that only the part not overlapped by the pre-plasma can actually produce THz radiation. Thus, the amplitude of the THz pulse driven by the main pulse can be modified by changing the spatial separation between two plasma filaments. The experimental observations are qualitatively in agreement with our numerical simulation results. It is also found that the change of the time delay between the pre-pulse and the main pulse does not change the THz radiation amplitude for a given spatial separation. This study suggests a practical way for the manipulation of THz waves through an interaction between laser plasma filaments.