14 DAY TRIAL // Hebrew University of Jerusalem Racah Institute of Physics experts, led by Professors L.D. Shvartsman and B. Laikhtma, announce that they have managed to create a new design for TeraHertz-ray, or T-ray, lasers, a find that could bring forth a number of improvements in fields of research relying on advanced imaging techniques. The announcement has been made by the Yissum Research Development Company, affiliated with the university, PhysOrg reports.
“TeraHertz rays are the imaging method of the future. They are comparable to X-rays in terms of their ability to penetrate opaque substances, but more importantly, they are harmless. The novel method to produce efficient T-ray emitters will enable the use of this important imaging source for various applications, including security and medical applications,” the CEO at Yissum, Yaacov Michlin, explains. TeraHertz electromagnetic waves have a wavelength shorter than that of microwave radiation, but longer than that of infrared radiation.
The only coherent T-ray laser sources in existence today are THz quantum cascade lasers, which have a good-enough gain to produce viable scientific results, but not as high as researchers would want. The new method of producing the ray generators will ensure that the end-products have at least 400 times more gain than existing devices, the Israeli team reports. The reasons why these lasers are so important include the fact that they can penetrate most substances, they can be used harmlessly on suspects or patients, and also the fact that they have the ability to detect explosives with relative ease. In the case of medical examinations, there are virtually no limits to the number of T-ray images a patient could get.
The reason why these lasers are not very widely used is the fact that no company or scientific group in the world today has thus far been able to produce powerful, coherent and adjustable TeraHertz waves. Existing sources and emitters fail in getting this job done, so stagnation in healthcare and in numerous industries is omnipresent. The Hebrew University experts may have just found a way of breaking past this block.