Generation of THz-Radiation Pulses by Optical Excitation of High-T_c Superconductor Microbridges

摘要

THz-radiation is generated by optical excitation of a current biased #mu#m-bridge patterned into a high-T_c superconductor thin film. The electrical pulses are detected in a THz-setup by measuring the electric field emitted from the bridge in time domain. This THz response is clearly related to the differential reflectivity transients of the unpatterned superconductor films and specifically to the optically breaking of Cooper pairs and their subsequent recombination.