All-electric detection of the polarization state of terahertz laser radiation

Two types of room-temperature detectors of terahertz laser radiation have been developed which allow, in an all-electric manner, the determination of the plane of polarization of linearly polarized radiation and the Stokes parameters of elliptically polarized radiation, respectively. The operation of the detectors is based on photogalvanic effects in semiconductor quantum well structures of low symmetry. The photogalvanic effects have nanosecond time constants at room temperature, making a high time resolution of the polarization detectors possible. © 2008 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2937192