Phonon drag as a mechanism of delayed terahertz response of metals

We show that electron drag by nonequilibrium phonons describes the actual waveform and spectrum of terahertz pulses generated during femtosecond laser irradiation of metals. In contrast to previous models, there is a picosecond delay in the drag force development due to the relatively slow lattice heating and finite phonon lifetime. We also predict that, at high pump fluences, a macroscopic deformation wave enhances nonlinearly the drag force and terahertz response. Our results establish the terahertz pulse waveform as a direct probe of ultrafast lattice dynamics in metals.