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We present the development and implementation of a novel wavelet shrinkage technique for the retrieval of obscured characteristic resonant signatures in the scattered terahertz (THz) reflectivity of molecular crystals. In this implementation, the wavelet basis functions associated with the absorption features were identified using the second-order total variation of the wavelet coefficients. Additionally, wavelet coefficients at certain scales were modified using the phase function corrections and wavelet hard thresholding. Reconstruction of the original spectra using these modified wavelet coefficients yielded the exact resonant frequencies of the chemicals, which were otherwise unrecognizable in the spectral artifacts of the rough surface scattering. We examined the robustness of this method over controlled levels of rough surface scattering, validated using the Kirchhoff approximation, in spectroscopic targets made from $\alpha $ -lactose monohydrate and 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which have close spectral lines. We successfully retrieved the spectral absorption fingerprints in both specular and off-specular reflection geometries. This technique can be utilized for stand-off material characterization using the THz reflection spectroscopy in uncontrolled environments and potentially can be adopted for other broadband spectroscopic modalities.

We describe the application of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in extracting the characteristic absorption signatures of materials from terahertz reflection spectra. We compare the performance of different mother wavelets, including Daubechies, least asymmetric (LA), and Coiflet, based on their phase and gain functions and filter lengths. We show that the phase functions of the wavelet and scaling filters result in spectral shifts to the absorption lines in the wavelet domain. We provide a solution by calculating advancement coefficients necessary to achieve effective zero-phase-function DWT. We demonstrate the utility of this signal processing technique using $\alpha$ -lactose monohydrate/polyethylene samples with different levels of rough surface scattering. In all cases, the DWT-based algorithm successfully extracts resonant signatures at 0.53 and 1.38 THz, even when they are obscured by the rough surface scattering effects. The DWT analysis with accompanying phase corrections can be utilized as a robust technique for material identification in nondestructive evaluation using terahertz spectroscopy.

Topographical abnormality in corneal tissue is a common diagnostic marker for many eye diseases and injuries. Using an asynchronous optical sampling terahertz time-domain spectroscopy setup, we developed a non-contact and normal-incidence imaging system to measure topographic changes along the surface of spherical samples. We obtained orthogonal 1D scans of calibration spheres to evaluate the minimum axial resolution of our system. We determined the axial and spatial resolution of the scanner using 3D-printed spherical cross and Boehler star targets. Furthermore, we characterized the asymmetrical performance of the scanner due to the use of an off-axis parabolic mirror. Finally, we developed an edge-detection filter to aid with improving the topographic scans. We showed that when imaging samples were comparable in size to the human cornea, the axial and spherical spatial resolutions were limited to about 15 µm ( ∼ λ / 67 ) and 1 mm, respectively.

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) results in endothelial layer damage that can induce corneal hydration perturbations. We investigated the potential of terahertz spectroscopy in measuring the IOP levels through mapping corneal water content. We controlled the IOP levels in ex vivo rabbit and porcine eye samples while monitoring the change in corneal hydration using a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) scanner. Our results showed a statistically significant increase in the THz reflectivity between 0.4 and 0.6 THz corresponding to the increase in the IOP. Endothelial layer damage was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the corneal biopsy samples. Our empirical results indicate that the THz-TDS can be used to track IOP levels through the changes in corneal hydration.

To solve the phase ambiguity problem in the THz reflection spectroscopy, current material parameter extraction methods require the sample to make an ideal contact with an optically transparent window. We treat these samples as a multilayer system and present a new algorithm that estimates the thickness of the potential air gap and calculates the complex refractive index of the samples.

Terahertz imaging often involves seeing through inhomogeneous and highly scattering media. We propose a wavelet multiresolution analysis approach to mitigate the scattering effects and produce highly-resolved reflection spectral images for chemical mapping through turbid media.

Topographic imaging of corneal tissue would be a prominent indicator of many ocular diseases. Using the time of arrival of a reflected THz beam from the surface, we develop a setup where depth profiles can be extracted from a spherical target. Topographic information associated with the contour of corneal tissue can be extracted, such as radius, surface height and thickness variations. In this study, we image several 3D printed spherical targets to determine the lateral and axial resolutions, and asymmetrical characteristics of our imaging system.

The accuracy of current burn triage techniques has remained between 50-70%. Accordingly, there is a significant clinical need for the quantitative and accurate assessment of partial-thickness burn injuries. Porcine skin represents the closest animal model to human skin, and is often used in surgical skin grafting procedures. In this study, we used a standardized in vivo porcine burn model to obtain terahertz (THz) point-spectroscopy measurements from burns with various severities. We then extracted two reflection hyperspectral parameters, namely spectral area under the curve between approximately 0.1 and 0.9 THz (−10 dB bandwidth in each spectrum), and spectral slope, to characterize each burn. Using a linear combination of these two parameters, we accurately classified deep partial- and superficial partial-thickness burns (p = 0.0159), compared to vimentin immunohistochemistry as the gold standard for burn depth determination.

We report on the development and performance characterization of a telecentric terahertz spectroscopic scanner using an f-θ objective lens and a single gimballed scanning mirror for image formation. We derived a beam steering transform to compensate for the intercoupling of the gimballed mirror axes and the distortions caused by an imperfect scanning lens. We characterize the optical performance of the system in both the time and spatial domains, demonstrating a constant diffraction-limited imaging resolution over the entire field of view. Finally, given the large depth of focus of the objective lens, we demonstrate the broadband imaging capability at different depths using a Boehler star target. This imaging setup has the potential to be miniaturized into portable form factors for field-deployable scenarios.

Terahertz (THz) imaging is a widely used technique in the study and detection of many chemicals and biomolecules in polycrystalline form because the spectral absorption signatures of these target materials often lie in the THz frequencies. When the size of dielectric grain boundaries are comparable to the THz wavelengths, spectral features can be obscured due to electromagnetic scattering. In this study, we first investigate this granular scattering effect in identification of chemicals with THz spectral absorption features. We then will propose a signal processing technique in the so-called "quefrency" domain to improve the ability to resolve these spectral features in the diffuse scattered THz images. We created a pellet with α-lactose monohydrate and riboflavin, two biologically significant materials with well-known vibrational spectral resonances, and buried the pellet in a highly scattering medium. THz transmission measurements were taken at all angles covering the half focal plane. We show that, while spectral features of lactose and riboflavin cannot be distinguished in the scattered image, application of cepstrum filtering can mitigate these scattering effects. By employing our quefrency-domain signal processing technique, we were able to unambiguously detect the dielectric resonance of lactose in the diffused scattering geometries. Finally we will discuss the limitation of the new proposed technique in spectral identification of chemicals.

Perturbation of normal corneal water content is a common manifestation of many eye diseases. Terahertz (THz) imaging has the potential to serve as a clinical tool for screening and diagnosing such corneal diseases. In this study, we first investigate the diffusive properties of a corneal phantom using simultaneous THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and gravimetric measurements. We will then utilize a variable-thickness diffusion model combined with a stratified composite-media model to simulate changes in thickness, hydration profile, and the THz-TDS signal as a function of time. The simulated THz-TDS signals show very good agreement with the reflection measurements. Results show that the THz-TDS technique can be used to understand water diffusion dynamics in corneal phantoms as a step towards future in vivo quantitative hydration sensing.

In this study, we discuss the application of a cepstrum-based signal processing technique to reduce the effect of volume and rough surface scattering. The filter is applied to images of pellets made of large polyethylene particles with a metallic object hidden inside. Results show improved signal-to-noise in higher frequencies after applying the filter to THz images.

We present experimental results from the application of our new terahertz full-polarimetry instrument, to measuring the thickness of ultra-thin films in a multi-layer coating system. While the standard time-of-flight measurement is limited by the bandwidth of the THz pulse in the minimum thickness resolution of the film that can be resolved using a time-domain system, the new terahertz time-domain polarimetry (THz-TDP) instrument can extend this limit to a few micrometers. This unique ability to measure the thickness of ultra-thin films (approximately λ/1000) is due to the accuracy of THz-TDP to resolve the polarization direction of the THz field within 1 degrees.

We have designed and fabricated a terahertz full-polarimetry instrument, based on control of terahertz polarization in a gas-plasma source, and fast measurement of polarization direction and chirality of the terahertz field in the time-domain without using any external polarizers. We will present details on this new experimental technique including synchronization and calibration of the measurement apparatus against wire-grid polarizers, and derivation of the Jones matrix representation of the propagation optics. The new terahertz time-domain polarimetry (THz-TDP) system extends the polarimetry frequency range to the full bandwidth of gas-plasma sources, and offers accuracy of approximately 1 degrees.