METHOD FOR GENERATING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION WITH A THZ RANGE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM WHICH HAS A PLURALITY OF USEFUL FREQUENCIES, AND A QUANTUM CASCADE LASER

摘要

The invention relates to a method for generating electromagnetic radiation with a frequency spectrum which has a plurality of narrow-band useful frequencies using a THz quantum cascade laser 1 which simultaneously generates two narrow-band trigger waves with a high intensity in the active medium 7; 11, 11.1 of the quantum cascade laser 1. The spacing of the frequencies f₁, f₂ of the trigger waves is selected such that the interaction between the photons of one trigger wave and the photons of the other trigger wave produces narrow-band resulting waves with a frequency f₃, f₄, f₅, f₆ which differs from the frequencies f₁, f₂ of the trigger waves. The interaction between the photons of the resulting waves and the higher-order waves with an adjacent frequency produces additional resulting waves. This process continues between two respective resulting waves with adjacent frequencies such that resulting waves are produced in a plurality of subordinate ranks in a cascading manner from the produced trigger waves, wherein the position of the frequencies in the spectrum is symmetrical with respect to the position of the average frequency of the trigger waves. The invention further relates to a quantum cascade laser 1, by means of which the method can be carried out.