POWER SOURCE FOR TERAHERTZ IMAGING


Keith Nelson
Department of Chemistry

Terahertz (THz) imaging has the potential to provide a safe and efficient means of quick screening for explosives at airports and other facilities, and THz spectroscopy can improve imaging for industrial quality control, basic research and other applications. Unlike X-rays, THz waves are non-ionizing and present no risk to people. However, THz screening commercialization has been slowed by the lack of a compact source of high-power THz pulses. This project is aimed at developing a compact source delivering 100 to 1,000 times more power than other approaches in the marketplace or in R&D. The same source may enable a broad range of ultrahigh-bandwidth THz signal processing applications.