Editorial: Advances in Terahertz Detection and Imaging
Meng Chen, Yingxin Wang, Xinke Wang, Lianhe Li
Abstract
Terahertz waves have many unique properties and show great potential for both fundamental scientific research and applications in various fields, such as astronomy, communication, biomedicine, and security inspection Terahertz detection is a process of converting terahertz signal into a measurable electrical signal. It can be used to obtain the amplitude, phase, spectroscopic, temporal, or polarization information of the THz signal, which may reveal rich physical phenomena about the interaction of terahertz waves with matter. Effective detection of terahertz signal is crucial for realizing real-world applications of terahertz technology, especially for the passive techniques Terahertz waves show good capability of penetration through objects which are usually opaque to infrared and visible light, and their appropriate wavelengths may yield a higher spatial resolution than microwave. Many organic substances exhibit fingerprint absorption spectra in this frequency range, enabling identification of different materials. Therefore, imaging with terahertz waves allows one to see through an object with millimeter-or submillimeter-scale resolution and even spatially resolve its chemical composition Nowadays, terahertz detection and imaging are two fundamental and hot topics in the area of terahertz science and technology, and a series of significant advances have emerged in recent years.