Volume 15, Issue 8 2100051
Research Article

Time-Domain Integration of Broadband Terahertz Pulses in a Tapered Two-Wire Waveguide

Giacomo Balistreri

Giacomo Balistreri

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, 90128 Italy

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Alessandro Tomasino

Corresponding Author

Alessandro Tomasino

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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Junliang Dong

Junliang Dong

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

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Aycan Yurtsever

Aycan Yurtsever

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

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Salvatore Stivala

Salvatore Stivala

Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo, 90128 Italy

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José Azaña

José Azaña

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

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Roberto Morandotti

Corresponding Author

Roberto Morandotti

INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X1S2 Canada

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Sichuan, 610054 China

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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First published: 27 June 2021
Citations: 23

Abstract

In this work, the time-domain integration of broadband terahertz (THz) pulses via a tapered two-wire waveguide (TTWWG) is reported. Such a guiding structure consists of two metallic wires separated by a variable air gap that shrinks down to a subwavelength size as the movement takes from the waveguide input to its output. It is shown that while an input THz pulse propagates toward the subwavelength output gap, it is reshaped into its first-order time integral waveform. In order to prove the TTWWG time integration functionality, the THz pulse is detected directly within the output gap of the waveguide, so as to prevent the outcoupling diffraction from altering the shape of the time-integrated THz transient. Since the time-domain integration is due to the tight geometrical confinement of the THz radiation in a subwavelength gap volume, the TTWWG operational spectral range can easily be tuned by judiciously changing both the output gap size and the tapering angle. The results lead to the physical realization of a broadband, analog THz time integrator device, which is envisioned to serve as a key building block for the implementation of complex and ultrahigh-speed analog signal processing operations in THz communication systems.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Research data are not shared.

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