Objective
The terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the infrared and microwave range, has historically suffered from a lack of sources and detectors, leading to the phrase ‘terahertz gap’ to be coined. In recent years however there have been a number of sources and detectors developed in this region. Two of these new technologies are THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) and THz quantum cascade lasers (QCL).
In this project we seek to combine these technologies and phase-lock the THz QCL in the time domain to a TDS system. This will allow the temporal resolution and coherent detection of the electric field output of the QCL and will permit investigations into the fundamental laser processes of the ultra-fast gain build-up, saturation and recovery times over time-scales of pico-seconds. The first stage of the project will demonstrate the effect of phase locking by injection of a THz pulse into the QCL and forcing the latter to show laser action at a known phase. In the latter stages of the project, the process of phase locking will be used to unambiguously demonstrate mode-locking and the generation of THz pulses from a QCL in the time domain. As well as directly measuring the electric field dynamics of a mode-locked laser, the essential parameters governing mode-locking such as gain lifetimes will be investigated.
Finally, as well as insights into fundamental physics of ultra-fast laser field build-up, this project will have several technological benefits. The resulting system will produce short, high-power, phase-resolved pulses of THz radiation that are currently only available at large scale facilities. These generated ultra-fast pulses can be designed in terms of duration, tunability and bandwidth using the unique QCL property of bandstructure engineering. As such, this project will have far reaching benefits for scientific research and the European technology industry.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics ultrafast lasers
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.