Destructive interference of freely propagating terahertz pulses and its potential for high-resolution spectroscopy and optical computing

Freely propagating terahertz pulses have been superimposed on a detection crystal leading to their mutual annihilation. An extinction ratio as good as 10:1 is found. The interference pattern represents the sum of the pulses, as measured individually, with high fidelity. Its application for high-resolution spectroscopy and optical computing are discussed.