Terahertz technologies harness sub-millimeter-wave radiation at frequencies from 0.1 to 10 terahertz, known as t-rays, corresponding to the spectrum between the infrared and microwave bands. Many scientists regard t-rays as the last great frontier of the electromagnetic spectrum, but finding “killer” applications outside the traditional niches of radio astronomy, Earth and planetary remote sensing, and molecular spectroscopy—particularly in biomedical imaging — has been relatively slow.
Residing at the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum, t-rays behave like radio waves. When excited, they propagate and focus via traditional quasi-optical techniques, but utilize lenses typically made of low-loss plastics or crystals rather than the glasses prevalent at optical wavelengths.
Radiologists find this area of study fascinating, because t-rays are non-ionizing, which suggests no harm is done to tissue or DNA. They also offer the possibility of performing spectroscopic measurements over a very wide frequency range, and can even capture very broad signatures from liquids and solids. In some non-biomedical applications, t-rays have already yielded impressive gains, such as: airport security, protecting valuable art, detecting surface cracks in space flights, improving telecommunications and more.
Terahertz t-rays have traditionally been used to detect lightweight molecules and atoms. Until now, nearly a dozen spaceflight instruments have measured these signatures, which are critical tracers for such processes as ozone depletion, global warming, and pollution monitoring, as well as in furthering research in basic astrophysics, planetary composition, and cosmology.
Terahertz radiation has key strengths, but also limitations. Most notably, t-rays cannot penetrate water or metal. Some terahertz frequencies can penetrate fatty tissue a few millimeters thick, leading some researchers to speculate about their use in detecting epithelial cancer.
Terahertz-radiation imaging is just one of several methods under investigation for use in detecting early cancer of the GI tract. However, these findings open up exciting new medical applications for Terahertz technology. With further development the goal of the professional imaging community is for the technology to be used during endoscopic and surgical procedures to enable complete removal of diseased tissues. Further work is required to fully understand the contrast between diseased and healthy tissue.
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