IRMMW-THz 2014 Deadline

Only 7 days until the April 1 Abstract deadline for the 39th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves!

Don't wait until the last minute to upload your paper and register for IRMMW-THz 2014. Early registration ends on March 31st.

Plan on spending an exciting week in Tucson, Arizona, USA this coming September 14th-19th. Our theme is "THz: The Next Generation" emphasizing the new disciplines, applications and people who are now contributing to our growing field. 

Our opening Plenary session will highlight talks in astronomy and cosmology by Nobel Laureate, Dr. John Mather (Cosmic Background), and by Dr. John Grunsfeld, NASA Associate Administer for Science, and a former Astronaut. 

We have special sessions on the emerging field of THz Communications as well as an exciting series of talks on Microwaves in Space. 

The list of participants is growing, and we expect a very international crowd. Join us in celebrating our 40th year of this, the oldest and largest of Millimeter-Wave, THz and Far-Infrared annual conferences. 

Please visit:

www.irmmw-thz2014.org

for full details, including Abstract submission, Registration, Exhibitor sign up, and local Accommodations information.

Tunable meta-fluidic-materials base on multilayered microfluidic system

Zhu, W.M. ; Dong, B. ; Song, Q.H. ; Zhang, W. ; Huang, R.F. ; Ting, S.K. ; Liu, A.Q.

Abstract

We demonstrate a multilayered microfluidic system with a flexible substrate, which has tunable optical chirality within THz spectrum range. The optical properties of the multilayered microfluidic system can be tuned by either changing the liquid pumped into each layer or stretching the flexible substrate. In experiment, the polarization rotation angle is tuned from zero (non-chiral structure) to 16.9° (strong-chiral structure). Furthermore, the tuning resolution can be well controlled due to the fine refractive index change of the liquid with different concentrations. It is feasible for the multilayered microfluidic structure to be integrated to an optofluidic system, where strong or tunable optical chirality are needed, which not only can be used as traditional optical components such as THz polarizers and filters but also has potential applications on imaging and sensor of bio-materials.

This study was performed using TeraView's TPS Spectra 3000 system. (TeraView, Cambridge, UK)

Full Article: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org

Graphene-based optical modulator realized in metamaterial split-ring resonators operating in the THz frequency range

Riccardo Degl'Innocenti ; David S. Jessop ; Yash D. Shah ; Juraj Sibik ; Axel Zeitler ; Piran R. Kidambi ; Stephan Hoffman ; Harvey E. Beere ; David A. Ritchie


Abstract

The integration of quantum cascade lasers with devices capable of efficiently manipulating terahertz light, represents a fundamental step for many different applications. Split-ring resonators, sub-wavelength metamaterial elements exhibiting broad resonances that are easily tuned lithographically, represent the ideal route to achieve such optical control of the incident light. We have realized a design based on the interplay between metallic split rings and the electronic properties of a graphene monolayer integrated into a single device. By acting on the doping level of graphene, an active modulation of the optical intensity was achieved in the frequency range between 2.2 THz and 3.1 THz, with a maximum modulation depth of 18%.

This study was performed using TeraView's TPS Spectra 3000 system. (TeraView, Cambridge, UK)

Full Article: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1846017

TeraView secure sale of first Terahertz machine into Africa

Press Release: 

TeraView has secured the sale of its first machine into Africa with an order from the National Research Centre in Egypt. Selected for its quality, flexibility and ease of use, it is the first turn key terahertz unit in Africa and is an increasing sign of the globalization of the companies technology

“We are obviously pleased with the continued spread of the technology” said CEO Don Arnone “We now have machines operating in over 33 countries. Users, in Industry and Academia, are increasingly seeing the potential of the technology and we continue to rise to the challenge of producing equipment that meets their needs. 

Like many, we also believe in the potential of Africa and see this sale as a first step in developing partnerships that can help this potential be realized”

For the rest of our latest news, visit: http://www.teraview.com/news/index.html

Terahertz spectral investigation of anhydrous and monohydrated glucose using terahertz spectroscopy and solid-state theory

Zhuan-Ping, Zheng, Wen-Hui Fan, Hui Li, Jie Tang


Abstract

The terahertz absorption spectra of anhydrous and monohydrated glucose have been investigated and compared by using THz spectroscopy and solid-sate density functional theory. The unrevealed mechanism of THz spectral differences of both materials measured has been analyzed based on the crystalline structure. Solid-state calculations of the THz characteristic spectra using Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof functional have provided the satisfactory spectral reproduction for these two materials. It is found that the characterized features of monohydrated glucose mainly come from the intermolecular modes of water–glucose and glucose–glucose molecules, while those of anhydrous glucose origin from the interactions of glucose molecules.

This study was performed using TeraView's TPS Spectra 3000 system. (TeraView, Cambridge, UK)

Full Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022285213001768

Influence of terahertz waves on the penetration in thick FRP composite materials

Kwang-Hee Im¹, David K. Hsu², Chien-Ping Chiou², Daniel J. Barnard², In-Young Yang³ and Je-Woong Park⁴


Abstract

Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) are increasingly utilized in engineering structures because of their performance and fabrication advantages. With this increased utilization, a technique to gage quality and further characterize the materials would be beneficial. The nondestructive applications for Terahertz (T-ray) methods have also experienced increased utilization for evaluating engineering materials and will be reported on here in applications for the inspectionand characterization of FRP materials used in wind energy components. First, refraction and transmission T-ray modes are used to determine the refractive index (n) of a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) reference sample, and extended for calculating the refractive indicesfor a sample of GFRP, balsa and epoxy. Additionally, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) samples were evaluated with respect to fiber directions versus T-ray electric field polarization direction to evaluate the level of penetration of T-ray energy due to the fiber orientation dependent conductivity of this composite material. Finally, an evaluation of T-ray data was made to evaluate resonance effects, where the resonance frequency was found to agree with that expected from reflections from individual plies in thick GFRP laminates.

This study was performed using TeraView's CW Spectra 400 system. (TeraView, Cambridge, UK)

Full Article: http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/proceeding/aipcp/10.1063/1.4865010

Evaluation of Coating Properties of Enteric-Coated Tablets Using Terahertz Pulsed Imaging

Masahiro Niwa, Yasuhiro Hiraishi, Katsuhide Terada

Abstract

Purpose

Enteric coatings are used to reduce gastrointestinal side effects and control the release properties of oral medications. Although widely used, the effect of formulation and process conditions on physicochemical and functional properties of enteric coatings remains unclear.

Methods

Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) was employed to evaluate the coat properties of enteric coated tablets (ECTs) with various acid resistance. Other analytic methods, such as loss on drying, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed tomography were then used to validate the relationships established among 4 TPI-derived parameters and the physicochemical properties of enteric coatings.

Results

Weight gain measurement did not provide any information to assess acid resistance of enteric coating, whereas four TPI-derived parameters non-destructively reflected the coating properties such as thickness, coat uniformity, density, and water distribution, allowing the identification of the causes of poor acid resistance in certain ECT batches using a single measurement. These parameters also revealed the effect of coating conditions; in particular, coating under dry conditions led to less dense and nonuniform coatings with poor acid resistance.

Conclusion

We demonstrated the utility of TPI to identify structural defects within ECTs with poor acid resistance. TPI-derived parameters can aid in formulation development and quality control of ECTs.

Full Article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11095-014-1314-6

Foreign-body detection in dry food using continuous sub-terahertz wave imaging

Gyeongsik Oka, Hyun Jung Kima, Hyang Sook Chunb, Sung-Wook Choia


Abstract

Recently, significant attention has been paid to the food safety issue of foreign-body detection in the food industry. Commercialized X-ray imaging is extensively used for monitoring any foreign bodies that may be embedded in food products. However, foreign bodies such as low- density organic materials cannot be easily observed by conventional detection methods. The sub-terahertz and terahertz wave methods can provide not only the identification of a low-density foreign body but also a safe inspection due to the non-ionizing radiation. In this study, foreign bodies concealed in dry food were detected with a high-resolution raster scan imaging system at 210 GHz in the sub-terahertz wave range. Our raster-scan imaging system using Gaussian beam focusing demonstrated the diffraction-limited spatial resolution in the sub-terahertz wave range. Transmission images of foreign bodies showed better contrast than reflection images. Nondense materials, such as insects and plastics, were observed with the continuous sub-terahertz wave, in contrast to the difficulty in observing them in X-ray transmission imaging.

This study was performed using TeraView's TPS Spectra 3000 system. (TeraView, Cambridge, UK)

Full Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713514000905