Enhanced terahertz radiation generation using q-Gaussian laser beams in a density rippled plasma

This paper investigates a novel scheme for generating terahertz (THz) radiation by the nonlinear interactions of q-Gaussian laser beams with spatially periodic density rippled plasma. The non-linear ponderomotive force induced by the interaction of these laser beams drives electron oscillations, leading to transient currents and subsequent THz radiation emission. The effects of varying key parameters—beam intensity, q-parameter, spot size, and plasma density modulation—on the amplitude of the generated THz field are explored. It is observed that increasing the q-parameter by 0.5 results in a 10% increase in the peak THz field with a density ripple between the normalized values of 0.5 and 2.0. Results demonstrate enhanced control over THz radiation by tuning the q-Gaussian beam profile, offering promising implications for high-efficiency plasma-based THz sources in applications such as spectroscopy, communication, and imaging.