THz phase-shifted waveguide Bragg gratings built on modular 3D-printed two-wire plasmonic waveguides are used experimentally for gas sensing. The physical parameters of a gas flowing along the grating are then monitored in real time by detecting the spectral position of a narrow transmission peak. The sensor sensitivity was found to be 133 GHz/RIU near 0.14 THz, with a theoretical sensor resolution of 7.5.10-5 RIU. The detection of glycerol vapors in air generated by an electronic cigarette was shown experimentally. The developed THz gas sensor can find its practical applications in environmental pollution monitoring and leak detection.
Imaging at terahertz frequencies (0.1-10 THz, wavelengths 3 mm-30 µm) has proven to be useful in the biomedical field. Still, the acquisition time is an important hurdle. Here, we discuss recent developments toward achieving real-time THz imaging. First, we demonstrate a spectral encoding algorithm to reconstruct a 4500-pixels image with 45 measurements. Second, we improve the image resolution using a super-resolution algorithm specifically developed for the THz. Third, we discuss our most recent work on the fabrication of an THz photoconductive antenna array for imaging. These works pave the way for future applications of THz imaging in biomedical science.
In terahertz (THz) communications, most of the research work is focused on wireless systems, while waveguide/fiber-based links have been less explored. Although wireless communications have several advantages, the fiber-based communications provide superior performance in certain short-range communication applications with complex geometrical environments. In this work, we present an in-depth experimental and numerical study of the short-range THz communications links (carrier frequency:128 GHz) that use subwavelength dielectric fibers of varying diameters (0.57-1.75 mm) and up to 10 m for information transmission (up to 6 Gbps) and define main challenges and tradeoffs in the link implementation.
In this work, a low-loss near-zero dispersion polypropylene fiber is designed for signal transmission at the carrier frequency of 128 GHz. An infinite 3D printing technique is explored to continuously fabricate the proposed fiber without length-limit. The in-depth theoretical and experimental comparisons between the two fibers printed using standard and infinite 3D printers are introduced in detail. Particularly, transmission losses of 2.39 dB/m and 5.57 dB/m have been experimentally demonstrated for the two fibers at 128 GHz. Furthermore, for the two fibers with the corresponding lengths of 2 m and 1.6 m, signal transmission with bit error rates far below the forward error correction limit (10-3) was clearly observed. Error-free transmission is realized at the bit rates up to 5.2 Gbps for the standard 3D printed fiber at the length of 1.5 m.
We present a theoretical formulation and an experimental demonstration of a fast compression-less terahertz imaging technique based on broadband Fourier optics. The technique exploits k-vector/frequency duality in Fourier optics which allows to use a single-pixel detector to perform angular scan along a circular path, while the broadband spectrum is used to scan along the radial dimension in Fourier domain. The proposed compression-less image reconstruction technique (hybrid inverse transform) requires only a small number of measurements that scales linearly with the image linear size, thus promising real-time acquisition of high-resolution THz images. We develop an algorithm based on a polar formulation of the Fourier transform to reconstruct the image. First, we show how the equations are transformed when passing from a spatial integral to a frequency integral. Second, we analytically demonstrate that, in the case of binary amplitude objects and phase objects, the reconstructed image from our formulation is proportional to the original object. Third, we experimentally demonstrate the image reconstruction method in the two above-mentioned cases: we use a metal aperture for the binary object and an engraving in a polymer sample for the phase object. A detailed analysis of the novel technique advantages and limitations is presented, and its place among other existing THz imaging techniques is clearly identified.
Concrete, a mixture of cement, coarse aggregate, sand and filler material (if any), is widely used in the construction industry. Cement, mainly composed of Tricalcium Silicate (C3S) and Dicalcium Silicate (C2S) reacts readily with water, a process known as hydration. The hydration process forms a solid material known as hardened cement paste which is mainly composed of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H), Calcium Hydroxide and Calcium Carbonate. To quantify the critical hydration level, an accurate and fast technique is highly desired. However, in conventional XRD technique, the peaks of the constituents of anhydrated and hydrated cement cannot be resolved properly, where as Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy has low penetration depth and hence cannot be used to determine the hydration level of thicker concrete samples easily. Further, MIR spectroscopy cannot be used to effectively track the formation of Calcium Hydroxide, a key by-product during the hydration process. This paper describes a promising approach to quantify the hydration dynamics of cement using Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. This technique has been employed to track the time dependent reaction mechanism of the key constituents of cement that react with water and form the products in the hydrated cement, viz., C-S-H, Calcium Hydroxide and Calcium Carbonate. This study helps in providing an improved understanding on the hydration kinetics of cement and also to optimise the physio-mechanical characteristics of concrete.
Terahertz (THz) frequency band lies between the microwave and infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Molecules having strong resonances in this frequency range are ideal for realizing "Terahertz tags" which can be easily incorporated into various materials. THz spectroscopy of molecules, especially at frequencies below 10 THz, provides valuable information on the low frequency vibrational modes, viz. intermolecular vibrational modes, hydrogen bond stretching, torsional vibrations in several chemical and biological compounds. So far there have been very few attempts to engineer molecules which can demonstrate customizable resonances in the THz frequency region. In this paper, Diamidopyridine (DAP) based molecules are used as a model system to demonstrate engineering of THz resonances (< 10 THz) by fine-tuning the molecular mass and bond strengths. Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations have been carried out to explain the origin of THz resonances and factors contributing to the shift in resonances due to the addition of various functional groups. The design approach presented here can be easily extended to engineer various organic molecules suitable for THz tags application.
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