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Introduction for the grad student
Terahertz research is the
current limits of modern electronic and photonic technology. Electronics has continued to push its
operating frequency into the hundreds of gigahertz, but as the frequencies
get higher, parasitic RC time constants destroy the performance of
devices. On the higher frequency side
of the electromagnetic spectrum, visible and infrared photonics have been
widely researched and exploited to make possible the technologies that modern
communication is built on. Between
these two ranges there is a gap in technology, the “THz gap.”
Light in this frequency
range can be used for a variety of purposes.
It has the ability to see through many materials such as clothing and
many plastics, and thus has a huge potential for use in security. Also, every material has a unique THz
absorption spectrum, making it useful for materials identification. Other potential applications that are
already being pursued are in astronomy, medical imaging, and defect detection
in materials that are opaque in other frequency ranges. One of the most exciting
and challenging aspects of terahertz technology is that it is still at a
relatively young stage, meaning that the real potential of this frequency
range has yet to be realized.
Practical tabletop sources are only just becoming available and the
number of applications being investigated by researchers around the world is
growing quickly. For more information
about specific projects that are being worked on in the Sherwin group, please
check out the research portion of the
site. back to the intro |
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