Enhancement of terahertz radiation from hard water by ion-exchange softening
Abstrak
This study investigates the enhancement of terahertz radiation from free-flowing water jets subjected to an ion-exchange softening process, in which divalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+) are replaced by monovalent sodium ions (Na+). Our experiments utilize a femtosecond laser focused on free-flowing jets of both tap water and purified water, before and after the softening treatment. Measured terahertz emission intensities demonstrate notable increases of up to 1.19× for softened tap water and 1.08× for softened purified water. This enhancement is attributed to reduced collision frequencies in the transient plasma formed upon laser irradiation, as monovalent ions exhibit higher mobility and lower ion-ion correlation compared to their divalent counterparts. We validate these observations through conductivity measurements and a Drude-based analysis of laser-driven electron dynamics. These findings underscore that controlling water hardness provides a straightforward approach for optimizing liquid-based terahertz sources through ultrafast plasma engineering, while also highlighting the significant role of ion composition in laser-liquid interactions.
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (4)
Lirong Li
Tao Shen
Haoyang Wang
Yong Zhang
Akses Cepat
- Tahun Terbit
- 2025
- Bahasa
- en
- Sumber Database
- Semantic Scholar
- DOI
- 10.1117/12.3068554
- Akses
- Open Access ✓