T-ray tomography

We demonstrate tomographic T-ray imaging, using the timing information present in terahertz (THz) pulses in a reflection geometry. THz pulses are reflected from refractive-index discontinuities inside an object, and the time delays of these pulses are used to determine the positions of the discontinuities along the propagation direction. In this fashion a tomographic image can be constructed.     

High Speed Terahertz Pulse Imaging in the Reflection Geometry and Image Quality Enhancement by Digital Image Processing

We describe the formation and enhancement of two dimensional pulsed terahertz (THz) images obtained in the reflection geometry with a high-speed optical delay line. Two test objects are imaged and analyzed with respect to material information and concealed structure. Clear THz images were obtained with various imaging modes and were compared with the X-ray images. The THz image of a sample revealed material features that the X-ray image cannot distinguish. We could enhance the THz image quality using various image processing techniques, such as edge detection, de-noising, high-pass filtering, and wavelet filtering.     

Real-time nondestructive imaging with THz waves

We present a real-time imaging measurement in the terahertz (THz) frequency region. The dynamic subtraction technique is used to reduce long-term optical background drift. The reflective images of two targets, a Nikon camera’s lens cap and a plastic toy gun, are obtained. For the lens cap, the image data were processed to be false-color images. For the toy gun, we show that even under an optically opaque canvas bag, a clear terahertz image is obtained. It is shown that terahertz real-time imaging can be used to nondestructively detect concealed objects.     

Measurement of Refractive Index for High Reflectance Materials with Terahertz Time Domain Reflection Spectroscopy

A method to measure the refractive index for high reflectance materials in the terahertz range with terahertz time domain reflection spectroscopy is proposed. In this method, the THz waveforms reflected by a silicon wafer and high reflectance sample are measured respectively. The refractive index of the silicon wafer, measured with the THz time domain transmission spectroscopy, is used as a reference in the THz time domain reflective spectroscopy. Therefore, the complex refractive index of the sample can be obtained by resorting to the known reflective index of the silicon and the Fresnel law. To improve the accuracy of the phase shift, the Kramers-Kronig transform is adopted. This method is also verified by the index of the silicon in THz reflection spectroscopy. The bulk metal plates have been taken as the sample, and the experimentally obtained metallic refractive indexes are compared with the simple Drude model.     

ZnO-based terahertz quantum cascade lasers

High-power terahertz sources operating at room-temperature are promising for many applications such as explosive materials detection, non-invasive medical imaging, and high speed telecommunication. Here we report the results of a simulation study, which shows the significantly improved performance of room-temperature terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz QCLs) based on a ZnMgO/ZnO material system employing a 2-well design scheme with variable barrier heights and a delta-doped injector well. We found that by varying and optimizing constituent layer widths and doping level of the injector well, high power performance of THz QCLs can be achieved at room temperature: optical gain and radiation frequency is varied from 108 cm^?1 @ 2.18 THz to 300 cm^?1 @ 4.96 THz. These results show that among II–VI compounds the ZnMgO/ZnO material system is optimally suited for high-performance room-temperature THz QCLs.     

基于双阈值canny均衡化算法的太赫兹图像增强

存在于微波与远红外之间的太赫兹波,因其无损害,稳定性高等独特性质使太赫兹光谱与成像技术在近几年来得到了迅猛的发展。太赫兹波独有的无损伤检测特性,在安全检测方面具有良好的发展前景,获得广大学者的研究和关注。经过太赫兹成像系统获得的太赫兹图像,虽然可以识别出隐藏的武器或其他金属制品,但是太赫兹图像的对比度和清晰度均较差,不能完全符合人眼的视觉效果,也不利于机器识别。目前,对太赫兹图像质量的提高和改善,成为太赫兹成像技术长远发展和广泛应用的关键问题。实验采用太赫兹波投射式成像系统对藏于物体中的金属心型吊坠和金属箭头进行成像,扫描步长0.5 mm,由于太赫兹光源大,能量起伏等系统缺陷,以及外部环境的复杂与干扰,导致成像所得图像均有背景噪声严重,边界模糊等问题,成像质量较差。提出一种基于双阈值的canny均衡化太赫兹图像增强算法,根据太赫兹图像自身性质限制,确定阈值和对图像均衡化的范围,实现图像降噪并引入双阈值canny算法和梯度幅值算法,使图像的对比度和清晰得到整体提高,并保留和突出太赫兹图像的细节信息,获得高分辨率、边缘清晰的图像。实验表明该算法对太赫兹图像具有良好的降噪效果,能够保留图像细节信息,图像对比度和图像质量得到增强和提高,同时增强了太赫兹成像技术对隐藏缺陷或隐藏物体的辨别能力和透视能力,为其在安检应用方面提供必要保证。     

Nanofocusing of terahertz wave on conical metal wire waveguides

The nanofocusing of the terahertz (THz) radiation energy is studied. By using a conical metal nanowire waveguide, we focus the energy of the terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (THz SPPs) to several nanometers’ scale. Another interesting property of the THz SPPs propagation on the waveguide is that the peak electric field at the waveguide tip enhances many times. What is more, both the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient versus the wire radius are obtained. The terahertz energy nanofocusing opens the way to observe terahertz propagating and imaging on the nanoscale.     

Terahertz reflection imaging using Kirchhoff migration

We describe a new imaging method that uses single-cycle pulses of terahertz (THz) radiation. This technique emulates data-collection and image-processing procedures developed for geophysical prospecting and is made possible by the availability of fiber-coupled THz receiver antennas. We use a simple migration procedure to solve the inverse problem; this permits us to reconstruct the location and shape of targets. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the THz system as a test-bed for the exploration of new seismic processing methods involving complex model systems.     

T-ray computed tomography

We demonstrate a tomographic imaging modality that uses pulsed terahertz (THz) radiation to probe the optical properties of three-dimensional (3D) structures in the far-infrared. This THz-wave computed tomography (T-ray CT) system provides sectional images of objects in a manner analogous to conventional CT techniques such as x-ray CT. The transmitted amplitude and phase of broadband pulses of THz radiation are measured at multiple projection angles. The filtered backprojection algorithm is then used to reconstruct the target object, including both its 3D structure and its frequency-dependent far-infrared optical properties.     

THz wave polarization-controlled spectroscopic imaging for anisotropic materials

We present a polarization-controlled terahertz (THz) wave spectroscopic imaging modality to investigate the anisotropy of the detected materials. The polarization of the emitted THz wave is controlled by changing the relative phase between the fundamental and second-harmonic waves in the two-color laser-induced air plasma THz generation configuration. The THz wave polarization direction is extracted by measuring the two electric field amplitudes when the polarization of the incident wave is controlled to be horizontal and vertical. The anisotropy of the industrial Sprayed-On-Foam-Insulation (SOFI) is characterized by measuring its azimuthal angle dependent THz polarization response. This work demonstrates that THz wave polarization-controlled imaging technique can be used for highly sensitive industrial nondestructive inspection and biological related characterization.