A new mechanism for THz-frequency radiation generation: Nonlinear strain waves in piezoelectrics

Using molecular dynamics simulations and analytics, we show that extremely large strain amplitude THz frequency acoustic waves can spontaneously form in crystalline GaN at the front of a shock wave and generate THz frequency radiation at an interface with AlN or another piezoelectric material. This new mechanism for the generation of THz radiation can be realized using a table-top ultrafast laser and has fundamentally different limiting properties than existing nonlinear optical ultrafast techniques for THz generation.