Ultrafast strain gauge: Observation of THz radiation coherently generated by acoustic waves

The study of nanoscale, terahertz frequency (THz) acoustic waves has great potential for elucidating material and chemical interactions as well as nanostructure characterization. Here we report the first observation of terahertz radiation coherently generated by an acoustic wave. Such emission is directly related to the time-dependence of the stress as the acoustic wave crosses an interface between materials of differing piezoelectric response. This phenomenon enables a new class of strain wave metrology that is fundamentally distinct from optical approaches, providing passive remote sensing of the dynamics of acoustic waves with ultrafast time resolution. The new mechanism presented here enables nanostructure measurements not possible using existing optical or x-ray approaches