Experimental Time-domain Study Of THz Signals From Impulse Excitation Of A Horizontal Surface Dipole

Using optoelectronic techniques with sub-ps resolution, we have characterized the electric-field time-domain response from an impulsively excited, micron-sized dipole antenna on a dielectric surface. When detected by an adjacent dipole antenna 400 μm distant, two primary signals are observed, a far-field pulse reflected from the back surface of the substrate and a surface-wave pulse. The surface-wave pulse appears as two distinct surface-propagating pulses despite originating from the dipole simultaneously.