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We propose a new approach to non-contact recording of respiratory function based on the analysis of a sequence of Infrared-terahertz images of the human face, allowing the processes that occur during breathing to be visualized. To obtain quantitative estimates of the respiratory function, two methods are proposed. The first one utilizes a probe which implements the function of spatial differentiation and provides high sensitivity, but requires an increased accuracy of positioning the probe at the nasal opening and scaling in accordance with the camera angle. The other one is a histogram method for obtaining quantitative estimates of the external respiratory function, which is scale invariant and does not require precise positioning, but has a lower sensitivity compared to the first one. The methods proposed have made it possible to remotely evaluate the respiratory rate, which correlates well with the data obtained by a contact method of respiratory function registration.

The presence of a corrosion layer on lead art and archæological objects can severely impede the interpretation of inscriptions, thus hampering our overall understanding of the object and its context. While the oxidation of lead that dominates corrosion may be chemically reversible via reduction, potentially providing some access to inscriptions otherwise obscured by time, corrosion damage is overall neither entirely reversible nor is the reduction process in all cases easy or feasible to carry out. In this study, by taking advantage of the unique penetration ability of terahertz radiation and the abundant frequency bands covered by a single-cycle terahertz pulse, we perform nondestructive terahertz multispectral imaging to look under the corrosion on a sixteenth century lead funerary cross (croix d’absolution) from Remiremont in Lorraine, France. The multispectral images obtained from various terahertz frequency bands are fed into a judiciously designed post-processing chain for image restoration and enhancement, thus allowing us for the first time to read obscured inscriptions that might have otherwise been lost. Our approach, which brings together in a new way the THz properties of the constituent materials and advanced signal- and image-processing techniques, opens up new perspectives for multi-resolution analysis at terahertz frequencies as a technique in archæometry and will ultimately provide unprecedented information for digital acquisition and documentation, character extraction, classification, and recognition in archæological studies.

This paper is devoted to reviewing the results achieved so far in the application of the single-pixel imaging technique to terahertz (THz) systems. The use of THz radiation for imaging purposes has been largely explored in the last twenty years, due to the unique capabilities of this kind of radiation in interrogating material properties. However, THz imaging systems are still limited by the long acquisition time required to reconstruct the object image and significant efforts have been recently directed to overcome this drawback. One of the most promising approaches in this sense is the so-called "single-pixel" imaging, which in general enables image reconstruction by patterning the beam probing the object and measuring the total transmission (or reflection) with a single-pixel detector (i.e., with no spatial resolution). The main advantages of such technique are that i) no bulky moving parts are required to raster-scan the object and ii) compressed sensing (CS) algorithms, which allow an appropriate reconstruction of the image with an incomplete set of measurements, can be successfully implemented. Overall, this can result in a reduction of the acquisition time. In this review, we cover the experimental solutions proposed to implement such imaging technique at THz frequencies, as well as some practical uses for typical THz applications.

Film coating of nifedipine tablets is commonly performed to reduce photo-degradation. The coating thickness of these tablets is a primary dictating factor of photo-stability. Terahertz spectroscopy enables accurate measurement of coating thickness. This study identifies a method to determine an end-point of a photo-protective coating process by using coating thickness measurements from terahertz time of flight spectroscopy (THz-TOF). For this method, nifedipine tablets, at different coating thicknesses, were placed in a photostability chamber. The illumination conditions of the coated tablets were adjusted based on the time duration of these tablets inside the chamber. A multiple linear regression model was developed with the coating thickness estimates from THz-TOF and illumination conditions information to predict the amount of drug remaining after photo-degradation (percent label claim). The prediction error of this model was 1.03 % label claim in the range of 88.4 to 100.6 % label claim. According to this model, acceptable levels of photo-protection in illumination conditions of up to approximately 700,000 lux hours was achieved at the end of the coating process (approximately 50 µm coating thickness) performed in this study. These results suggest THz-TOF as a viable process analytical technology tool for process understanding and end-point determination of a photo-protective coating process.

In the past few decades, the applications of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging technology have seen significant developments in the fields of biology, medical diagnosis, food safety, and nondestructive testing. Label-free diagnosis of malignant tumours has been obtained and also achieved significant development in THz biomedical imaging. This review mainly presents the research status and prospects of several common continuous-wave (CW) THz medical imaging systems and applications of THz medical imaging in biological tissues. Here, we first introduce the properties of THz waves and how these properties play a role in biomedical imaging. Then, we analyse both the advantages and disadvantages of the CW THz imaging methods and the progress of these methods in THz biomedical imaging in recent ten years. Finally, we summarise the obstacles in the way of the application of THz bio-imaging application technology in clinical detection, which need to be investigated and overcome in the future.

Concealed objects detection in terahertz imaging is an urgent need for public security and counter-terrorism. So far, there is no public terahertz imaging dataset for the evaluation of objects detection algorithms. This paper provides a public dataset for evaluating multi-object detection algorithms in active terahertz imaging. Due to high sample similarity and poor imaging quality, object detection on this dataset is much more difficult than on those commonly used public object detection datasets in the computer vision field. Since the traditional hard example mining approach is designed based on the two-stage detector and cannot be directly applied to the one-stage detector, this paper designs an image-based Hard Example Mining (HEM) scheme based on RetinaNet. Several state-of-the-art detectors, including YOLOv3, YOLOv4, FRCN-OHEM, and RetinaNet, are evaluated on this dataset. Experimental results show that the RetinaNet achieves the best mAP and HEM further enhances the performance of the model. The parameters affecting the detection metrics of individual images are summarized and analyzed in the experiments.

Terahertz focal plane array imaging methods, direct camera imaging and conventional light field imaging methods are incapable of resolving and separating layers of multilayer objects. In this paper, for the purpose of fast, high-resolution and layer-resolving imaging of multilayer structures with different reflection characteristics, a novel angular intensity filtering (AIF) method based on terahertz light-field imaging is purposed. The method utilizes the extra dimensional information from the 4D light field and the reflection characteristics of the imaging object, and the method is capable to resolve and reconstruct layers individually. The feasibility of the method is validated by experiment on both “idealized” and “practical” multilayer samples, and the advantages in performance of the method are proven by quantitative comparison with conventional methods.

When terahertz imaging technology is used for the nondestructive testing of composite materials, the signal is often affected by the experimental environment and internal noise of the system, as well as the absorption and scattering effect of the tested materials. The obtained image has degradation phenomena such as low contrast, poor resolution of small targets and blurred details. In order to improve the image quality, this paper proposes a novel method for the enhancement of composite materials’ terahertz image by using unsharp masking and guided filtering technology. The method includes the processing steps of hard threshold shrinkage denoising based on discrete wavelet transform, amplitude imaging, unsharp masking, guided filtering, contrast stretching, and pseudo-color mapping. In this paper, these steps are reasonably combined and optimized to obtain the final resulting image. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a 150–220 GHz high frequency terahertz frequency modulated radar imaging system was used to image three commonly used sandwich structure composites, and the enhancement processing were carried out. The resulting images with significantly enhanced contrast, detail resolution and edge information were obtained, and the prefabricated defects were all detected; Five objective evaluation indexes including standard deviation, mean gradient, information entropy, energy gradient and local contrast were used to compare and analyze the processing results of different image enhancement methods. The subjective and objective evaluation results showed that the proposed method can effectively suppress the noise in terahertz detection signals, enhance the ability of defect detection and positioning, and improve the accuracy of detection. The proposed method in this paper is expected to play a positive role in improving the practicability of terahertz imaging detection technology and expanding its application fields.

Compared with other typical terahertz (THz) detectors, the quantum-well photodetector (QWP) has the advantages of high detection sensitivity, fast response, mature fabrication, small size, and easy integration. Therefore, it is suitable for high-speed detection and imaging applications at the THz band. Researchers, both domestic and overseas, have systematically studied material design and device performance of the THz QWP. The design of the device is such that the peak frequency error is within 8%, the maximum peak responsibility is 5.5 A/W, the fastest response speed is 6.2 GHz, the best noise equivalent power is ∼10−13 W/Hz0.5, and the spectrum range is 2.5–6.5 THz. In this article, firstly the basic principles and theoretical calculations of the THz QWP are described, and then the research progress of the THz QWP in our research group at imaging and communication is reviewed, which looks forward to its future development.

In this study, we developed a rapid nondestructive tool for testing rust spread in a metal covered by a paint layer by using a THz time-domain spectroscopy system at a speed of 100 Hz/pixel. Time-of-flight imaging helps identify rust formation by exclusively obtaining the reflection from the steel below the paint surface. The use of frequency-selective imaging allows us to manipulate the contrast in rust imaging. Higher contrast is generally obtained when monitoring using the higher frequency component. In addition, we monitored the spread of rust in a steel plate under the influence of two different chemical solutions: NaCl and acid. We found that in the early stages, the decrease in THz reflection was governed by the high-frequency components due to the formation of lepidocrocite, whereas the low-frequency component develops as the proportion of hematite increases with time.

Continuous-wave terahertz reflection imaging is a potential tool for biological tissues. Based on our home-made continuous-wave terahertz reflection imaging system, the effect of both polarization mode and reflection window on the imaging performance is studied theoretically and experimentally, showing good agreement. By taking obtaining sample information and image contrast into consideration, p-polarized terahertz waves are recommended. Moreover, considering the sample boundary identification and the image contrast, selection criteria for reflection window is proposed. This work will help to improve the performance of continuous-wave terahertz reflection imaging and accelerate the THz imaging in biological application. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Chinese lacquerware is an important invention of arts and crafts in China. In this study, Chinese lacquerware is characterized using terahertz reflectometric imaging. The lacquerware studied herein comprises an ornamental wood panel covered by multiple layers of lacquers to portray motifs. For characterizing lacquerware, a terahertz time-domain spectroscopic reflectometric imaging system is proposed. The role of the proposed terahertz imaging system in highlighting the interface between layers during stratigraphic buildup in reflection geometry is proved. The proposed system provides a universal method for assessing the structural information of lacquered objects in a contactless and non-invasive manner; moreover, it provides two-dimensional images, subsurface three-dimensional images, and stratigraphic images (b-scans) in a contactless and non-invasive manner. Using the proposed system, we examine the buried layers of the lacquerware, including faults in the wooden layer and damages in the lacquerware. Research shows the promising prospects of terahertz time-domain spectroscopic reflectometric imaging as a non-destructive detection technique suited to lacquerware.

A non-destructive thickness measurement technique based on terahertz (THz) reflectivity was successfully deployed to interrogate 7 wt.% yttria-stabilised zirconia thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) produced by electron-beam physical vapour deposition (EB-PVD). The THz technique was shown to produce accurate thickness maps for different samples with a resolution of 1 × 1 mm over a surface of 65 × 20 mm that were compared with direct examination of key cross-sections. All thickness measurements on different samples were calculated using a single value of refractive index. Small defects characteristic of EB-PVD, such as “carrot growths” and variations on column inclination, were evaluated and did not produce significant variations in the refractive index of the TBC. Moreover, the thickness maps correctly display thickness variations that are a consequence of the point-source nature of EB-PVD evaporation. In summary, this paper demonstrates the technique can be successfully deployed on large surfaces, and across different coatings of the same material produced under the same deposition conditions. It is shown that a single n value is required to map the thickness distribution for all samples. This combination of qualities indicates the potential of the technique for in-line control of TBC manufacture.

We report theoretical investigations performed in the terahertz G-band, in the 228–232 GHz spectral window for a piezoelectrically-responsive ring-cone element metasurface composed of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/Silicon and PVDF/Silica glass. The choosing of this spectral window is motivated by a multitude of applications in terahertz detection and terahertz imaging, that commonly make use of this band. The uniqueness of the envisioned architecture resides in the combination between the readily-available polyvinylidene fluoride polymer and silicon/silica glass substrates, together with the introduction of an extra degree of freedom, in the form of a ring-cone architecture, and the active control of the geometric sizes through the longitudinal piezoelectric effect exhibited by the polymer. The spectral response of the metasurface is dependent on the combination between the polymer elements and the substrate, and ranges from near-zero absorption switching to a resonant behavior and significant absorption. The interaction between the electromagnetic field and the polymer-based metasurface also modifies the phase of the reflected and transmitted waves over a full 2π range, permitting complete control of the electric field polarization. Moreover, we take advantage of the longitudinal piezoelectric effect of PVDF and analyze the spectrum shaping capability of the polymer-based metasurface. Our analysis highlights the capability of the proposed architecture to achieve complete electric field polarization control, near-zero optical switching and resonant behavior, depending on the geometries and sizes of the architecture elements resulting from construction considerations and from the externally applied voltages through the piezoelectric effect.

In this roadmap article, we have focused on the most recent advances in terahertz (THz) imaging with particular attention paid to the optimization and miniaturization of the THz imaging systems. Such systems entail enhanced functionality, reduced power consumption, and increased convenience, thus being geared toward the implementation of THz imaging systems in real operational conditions. The article will touch upon the advanced solid-state-based THz imaging systems, including room temperature THz sensors and arrays, as well as their on-chip integration with diffractive THz optical components. We will cover the current-state of compact room temperature THz emission sources, both optolectronic and electrically driven; particular emphasis is attributed to the beam-forming role in THz imaging, THz holography and spatial filtering, THz nano-imaging, and computational imaging. A number of advanced THz techniques, such as light-field THz imaging, homodyne spectroscopy, and phase sensitive spectrometry, THz modulated continuous wave imaging, room temperature THz frequency combs, and passive THz imaging, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in THz data processing and optics development, will be reviewed. This roadmap presents a structured snapshot of current advances in THz imaging as of 2021 and provides an opinion on contemporary scientific and technological challenges in this field, as well as extrapolations of possible further evolution in THz imaging.

Terahertz imaging and spectroscopy has demonstrated a potential for differentiating tissue types of excised breast cancer tumors. Pulsed terahertz technology provides a broadband frequency range from 0.1 THz to 4 THz for detecting cancerous tissue. Tumor tissue types of interest include cancer typically manifested as infiltrating ductal or lobular carcinomas, fibro-glandular (healthy connective tissues) and fat. In this work, images of breast tumors excised from human and animal models are reviewed. In addition to alternate fresh tissues, breast cancer tissue phantoms are developed to further evaluate terahertz imaging and the potential use of contrast agents. Terahertz results are successfully validated with pathology images, showing strong differentiation between cancerous and healthy tissues for all freshly excised tissues and types. The advantages, challenges and limitations of THz imaging of breast cancer are discussed.

In this paper, we propose a terahertz (THz) spiral spatial filtering (SSF) imaging method that can enable image contrast enhancement. The related theory includes three main steps: (1) the THz image of the target is Fourier transformed to the spatial spectrum distribution, (2) the spatial spectrum is modulated by a spiral phase at the Fourier plane, (3) the filtered spatial spectrum is inverse Fourier transformed to the desired THz image. Meanwhile, analytic expression of the final THz image is derived. Due to the unique nature of the spiral phase, THz image contrast enhancement can be achieved and verified by various simulated target images with different contrasts. In our designed THz SSF imaging system, Fourier transform is carried out by the lens, and the spiral phase is acquired by the spiral phase plate (SPP). Proof-of-principle experiments with three different types of targets (carved metal letters, a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piece with a scratch, and a leaf) were carried out, and the effectiveness of contrast enhancement and edge extraction on the THz reconstruction images was validated.

Molecular spectroscopy has been widely used to identify pesticides. The main limitation of this approach is the difficulty of identifying pesticides with similar molecular structures. When these pesticide residues are in trace and mixed states in plants, it poses great challenges for practical identification. This study proposed a state-of-the-art method for the rapid identification of trace (10 mg·L−1) and multiple similar benzimidazole pesticide residues on the surface of Toona sinensis leaves, mainly including benzoyl (BNL), carbendazim (BCM), thiabendazole (TBZ), and their mixtures. The new method combines high-throughput terahertz (THz) imaging technology with a deep learning framework. To further improve the model reliability beyond the THz fingerprint peaks (BNL: 0.70, 1.07, 2.20 THz, BCM: 1.16, 1.35, 2.32 THz, TBZ: 0.92, 1.24, 1.66, 1.95, 2.58 THz), we extracted the absorption spectra in frequencies of 0.2–2.2 THz from images as the input to the deep convolution neural network (DCNN). Compared with fuzzy Sammon clustering and four back-propagation neural network (BPNN) models (TrainCGB, TrainCGF, TrainCGP, and TrainRP), DCNN achieved the highest prediction accuracies of 100%, 94.51%, 96.26%, 94.64%, 98.81%, 94.90%, 96.17%, and 96.99% for the control check group, BNL, BCM, TBZ, BNL + BCM, BNL + TBZ, BCM + TBZ, and BNL + BCM + TBZ, respectively. Taking advantage of THz imaging and DCNN, the image visualization of pesticide distribution and residue types on leaves was realized simultaneously. The results demonstrated that THz imaging and deep learning can be potentially adopted for rapid-sensing detection of trace multi-residues on leaf surfaces, which is of great significance for agriculture and food safety.

International audience; Ordered nanoporous (NP) alumina (Al2O3) films were grown on Al substrates through a two-step electrochemical anodization process. The morphology as well as the roughness are characterized by terahertz (THz) reflectometry and scattering imaging. In particular, we show that before the second anodization, irregular surface morphology of the NP Al2O3 films leads to significant THz scattering, whereas the far more homogeneous films following the second anodization show far less scattering. The regularity of the surface morphology is not readily ascertained using visible-light optical microscopy. The THz results are corroborated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM), both of which are time-consuming, not easy to operate, and can only provide the local characterization of NP Al2O3 films on Al substrate. THz-based techniques allow for the nondestructive characterization of the surface morphology of the entire NP Al2O3 films on the 10–100 μm length scale important for a range of applications while providing information over macroscopic scan areas, and obviate the need for sample preparation required by other common surface-morphology characterization techniques.

Quality control is of great importance in food industry, both for the evaluation of product characteristics and to avoid the occurrence of foreign bodies contamination in packaged items. With respect to the inspections against possible contaminants inside the product, different technologies are currently adopted along production chain lines. However, the number of accidents involving low density objects remains very large. To overcome this limitation, the use of electromagnetic technologies has been recently proposed. In this work, the synergic use of terahertz and microwaves technologies is proposed, so to provide high resolution images and in-depth inspections of different scenarios, including low density materials. A focus study on sugar samples is considered, reporting both its broadband characterization at microwaves and preliminary terahertz imaging to evaluate the integrity of the packaging. Ongoing research is devoted to the development and validation of a microwave device for monitoring food products along the production line.

This review considers glioma molecular markers in brain tissues and body fluids, shows the pathways of their formation, and describes traditional methods of analysis. The most important optical properties of glioma markers in the terahertz (THz) frequency range are also presented. New metamaterial-based technologies for molecular marker detection at THz frequencies are discussed. A variety of machine learning methods, which allow the marker detection sensitivity and differentiation of healthy and tumor tissues to be improved with the aid of THz tools, are considered. The actual results on the application of THz techniques in the intraoperative diagnosis of brain gliomas are shown. THz technologies’ potential in molecular marker detection and defining the boundaries of the glioma’s tissue is discussed.

Terahertz imaging and time-domain spectroscopy have been widely used to characterize the properties of test samples in various biomedical and engineering fields. Many of these tasks require the analysis of acquired terahertz signals to extract embedded information, which can be achieved using machine learning. Recently, machine learning techniques have developed rapidly, and many new learning models and learning algorithms have been investigated. Therefore, combined with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, terahertz applications can be performed with high performance that cannot be achieved using modeling techniques that precede the machine learning era. In this review, we introduce the concept of machine learning and basic machine learning techniques and examine the methods for performance evaluation. We then summarize representative examples of terahertz imaging and time-domain spectroscopy that are conducted using machine learning.

Graphical abstract Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and Terahertz imaging analysis of weld lines in thermoplastic polymer (ABS) manufactured by injection-molding., Highlights • Two techniques to investigate plastic welds, Ultrasonic Microscopy and Terahertz Imaging • Weld lines, inevitable draw backs of melds, of unpredictable locations and of weaker mechanical properties • Micro-elastic visualization of weld lines by Scanning acoustic microscopy • Micro-elastic heterogeneity and acoustic anisotropy • Birefringence at weld lines, Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) is used to characterize welds in a thermoplastic polymer (ABS) manufactured by injection-molding, particularly at the locations of weld-lines known to form as unavoidable significant defects. Acoustic micrographs obtained at 420 MHz clearly resolve the weld lines with morphological deformations and microelastic heterogenity. This is also where terahertz (THz) measurements, carried out in support of the SAM study, reveal enhanced birefringence corresponding to the location of these lines enabling verification of the SAM results. Rayleigh surface acoustic waves (RSAW), quantified by V(z) curves (with defocusing distance of 85 μm), are found to propagate slower in regions close to the weld lines than in regions distant from these lines. The discrepancy of about 100 m/s in the velocity of RSAW indicates a large variation in the micro-elastic properties between areas close to and distant from the weld lines. The spatial variations in velocity (VR) of RSAWs indicate anisotropic propagation of the differently polarized ultrasonic waves.

Hollow-core fibers are advantageous for chemical sensing as they facilitate liquid infiltration into the core over conventional porous core fiber. In addition, the requirement of less bulk material significantly decreases the effective material loss (EML). In this paper, a six circular cladding tube negative curvature hollow-core fiber (NC-HCF) is proposed for chemical sensing. Five different chemicals including chloroform, polylactic acid, C C L 3 , glycerin, and benzene are proposed to fill the core of the NC-HCF, and sensitivities are evaluated by full vector finite element method-based COMSOL software. Numerical results reveal that the proposed sensor exhibits very high relative sensitivity in a wide range of frequency. The fabrication of the proposed fiber is feasible by existing fabrication facilities as it contains realistic fabrication parameters. Hence, the proposed sensor can potentially be used as a chemical sensor especially in the medical, food, and industrial sectors as the five chemicals mentioned above carry great medical and food significance.

Terahertz (THz) imaging technology has shown significant potential for use in biomedical imaging owing to its non-ionizing characteristics by its low photon energy and its ultrabroadband spectral comparability with many molecular vibrational resonances. However, despite the significant advantage of being able to identify bio-materials in label-free configurations, most meaningful signals are buried by huge water absorption, thus it is very difficult to distinguish them using the small differences in optical constants at THz regime, limiting the practical application of this technology. Here, we demonstrate advanced THz imaging with enhanced color contrast by the use of THz field that is localized and enhanced by a nanometer-scale slot array. THz images of a biological specimen, such as mouse brain tissue and fingerprint, on a nano-slot array-based metamaterial sensing chip, which is elaborately fabricated in large-area, show a higher contrast and clearer boundary information in reflectance without any labeling. A reliable numerical solution to find accurate optical constants using THz nano-slot resonance for the quantitative analysis of target bio-specimens is also introduced. Finally, the precise optical properties of real bio-samples and atlas information are provided for specific areas where amyloid beta proteins, known to cause dementia, have accumulated in a mouse brain.

International audience; We present a time-of-flight tomography method for exceeding the naïve axial (i.e., depth) resolution limit of terahertz (THz) deconvolution by autoregressive spectral extrapolation (AR) based on the modified covariance method (AR/MCM). In contrast to Wiener filtering combined with wavelet denoising, AR/MCM does not discard any frequency components in the low signal-to-noise (SNR) regions of the measured data, and unlike the AR approach based on the Burg method (AR/BM), no peak splitting (single peaks in the impulse response function appearing as double peaks) as well as frequency bias (spectral peaks shifted with respect to their correct positions) is observed after deconvolution. After verifying the advantages of AR/MCM over Wiener filtering in conjunction with wavelet denoising as well as over AR/BM, using synthetic data, AR/MCM is employed to reconstruct a single layer of mill scale on a steel coupon from experimental THz time-of-flight tomography data. The reconstruction shows good agreement with the film thickness obtained from destructive cross-sectional measurements. In addition, unlike AR/BM, optimizing the parameters to obtain stable reconstruction is straightforward relying of Akaike’s information criterion suggesting that AR/MCM can be an easier to implement for THz nondestructive characterization of stratigraphy under noisy conditions, particularly when estimates of the stratigraphy may not a priori be available.

Label-free biosensors operating within the terahertz (THz) spectra have helped to unlock a myriad of potential THz applications, ranging from biomaterial detection to point-of-care diagnostics. However, the THz wave diffraction limit and the lack of emitter-integrated THz biosensors hinder the proliferation of high-resolution near-field label-free THz biosensing. Here, a monolithic THz emission biosensor (TEB) is achieved for the first time by integrating asymmetric double-split ring resonator metamaterials with a ferromagnetic heterojunction spintronic THz emitter. This device exhibits an electromagnetically induced transparency window with a resonance frequency of 1.02 THz and a spintronic THz radiation source with a bandwidth of 900 GHz, which are integrated on a fused silica substrate monolithically for the first time. It was observed that the resonance frequency experienced a red-shift behavior with increasing concentration of HeLa cells and

International audience; We measure in a nondestructive and noncontact fashion the thicknesses of three scale films with thicknesses 28.5 ± 1.4 μm, 13.4± 0.9 μm, and 5.1 ± 0.3 μm on steel substrates employing terahertz time-of-flight tomography combined with advanced signal-processing techniques. Wüstite is the dominant phase in the scale films, though magnetite and hematite are also present. Because wüstite is electrically insulating, the incident terahertz electromagnetic pulses largely penetrate into the scale film; however, the pulses are entirely reflected by the underlying electrically conductive steel substrate. Because the film layers are thin, in some cases optically thin, the distinct pulses reflected at the air/scale and scale/steel interfaces overlap in time and thus are not visually evident in the reflected terahertz signal, necessitating the use of deconvolution techniques to recover the sample structure. We compare the merits of three deconvolution techniques, one unsuccessful (frequency-wavelet domain deconvolution) and two successful (sparse deconvolution and autoregressive extrapolation), to characterize the thicknesses of these scale films.

Significance: Terahertz wave is a potential tool for biological tissues due to its noninvasiveness and high sensitivity to water. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) with the characteristics of high sensitivity and nondestruction has been applied for THz imaging. Aim: We aim to develop an imaging methodology to facilitate practical application of THz ATR imaging. Approach: We have demonstrated a horizontally scanning THz continuous wave ATR imaging system. The effective imaging area was as large as the prism imaging surface by optimizing the ATR prism, and the influence of secondary reflection can be well avoided. By taking the image resolution and stability of this system into consideration, the incident angle α to the prism bottom was chosen to be 30 deg. Results: The image resolution of this system can be up to 400 and 450 μm in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. Furthermore, U87-glioma regions of mice brain tissues with different sizes and C6-glioma regions of rat brain tissues with relatively large size can be differentiated clearly from normal brain tissues by this imaging system. The volume and location of the tumor region shown in the THz images are similar to those visualized macroscopically in the corresponding visual and H&E-stained images. Conclusion: We indicate terahertz horizontal-scanning ATR imaging technique with large effective imaging area, and high resolution could be used as an alternative method for label-free and high-sensitivity imaging of biological tissues.

Objectives Terahertz (THz)‐based imaging techniques hold great potential for biological and biomedical applications, which nevertheless are hampered by the low spatial resolution of conventional THz imaging systems. In this work, we report a high‐performance photoconductive antenna microprobe‐based near‐field THz time‐domain spectroscopy scanning microscope. Materials and methods A single watermelon pulp cell was prepared on a clean quartz slide and covered by a thin polyethylene film. The high performance near‐field THz microscope was developed based on a coherent THz time‐domain spectroscopy system coupled with a photoconductive antenna microprobe. The sample was imaged in transmission mode. Results We demonstrate the direct imaging of the morphology of single watermelon pulp cells in the natural dehydration process with our near‐field THz microscope. Conclusions Given the label‐free and non‐destructive nature of THz detection techniques, our near‐field microscopy‐based single‐cell imaging approach sheds new light on studying biological samples with THz.

Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) was introduced approximately fifteen years ago and has attracted a lot of interest in the pharmaceutical industry as a fast, non-destructive modality for quantifying film coatings on pharmaceutical dosage forms. In this topical review, we look back at the use of TPI for analysing pharmaceutical film coatings, highlighting the main contributions made and outlining the key challenges ahead.

While terahertz imaging has been used before for the determination of water content in vegetative tissue, most studies have either presented measurements of the temporal evolution of water content at a single-point of the plant or have presented two-dimensional images of leaves, demonstrating the potential of the technique, but relatively little of such information has been used to support biologically relevant conclusions. In this article we introduce terahertz time-domain spectroscopic imaging as a technique for the determination of the three-dimensional distribution of water in succulent plant tissues. We present the first three-dimensional water mapping of an agave leaf, which demonstrates an unprecedented capability to study the water retention mechanisms within succulent plants. We found that agave leaves are composed of a low-hydration outer tissue layer, defined by the outermost layer of vascular tissue that surrounds a high-hydration tissue, the carbohydrate rich hydrenchyma. The findings are supported by histological images and the correlation between the water content and carbohydrate presence is consistent with recently published findings of a remarkably large hydration shell associated with agave fructans.

International audience; This paper reviews experimental investigations of the route to chaos of a semiconductor laser subjected to optical feedback from a distant reflector. When the laser is biased close to threshold, as the feedback strength is increased, an alternation between stable continuous wave (CW) behavior and irregular, chaotic fluctuations, involving numerous external-cavity modes, is observed. CW operation occurs on an external-cavity mode whose optical frequency is significantly lower than that of the solitary laser. The scenario is significantly different for larger currents as the feedback level is increased. At low feedback, the laser displays periodic or quasiperiodic behavior, mostly around external-cavity modes whose frequency is slightly larger than that of the solitary laser. As the feedback level increases, the RF and optical frequencies involved progressively lock until complete locking is achieved in a mixed external-cavity mode state. In this regime, the optical intensity and voltage oscillate at a frequency that is also equal to the optical frequency spacing between the modes participating in the dynamics. For even higher feedback, the locking cannot be maintained and the laser displays fully developed coherence collapse.

This article deals with pulsed excitation terahertz computed tomography (THz CT). Opposite to x-ray CT, where just a single value (pixel) is obtained, in case of pulsed THz CT the time signal is acquired for each position. Recorded waveform can be parametrized - many features carrying various information about examined structure can be calculated. Based on this, multiparametric reconstruction algorithm was proposed: inverse Radon transform based reconstruction is applied for each parameter and then fusion of results is utilized. Performance of the proposed imaging scheme was experimentally verified using dielectric phantoms.

Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) was applied to analyse the inner structure of multiple unit pellet system (MUPS) tablets. MUPS tablets containing different amounts of theophylline pellets coated with Eudragit® NE 30 D and with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as cushioning agent were analysed. The tablets were imaged by TPI and the results were compared to X-ray microtomography. The terahertz pulse beam propagates through the tablets and is back-reflected at the interface between the MCC matrix and the coated pellets within the tablet causing a peak in the terahertz waveform. Cross-section images of the tablets were extracted at different depths and parallel to the tablet faces from 3D terahertz data to visualise the surface-near structure of the MUPS tablets. The images of the surface-near structure of the MUPS tablets were compared to X-ray microtomography images at the same depths. The surface-near structure could be clearly resolved by TPI at depths between 24 and 152 μm below the tablet surface. An increasing amount of pellets within the MUPS tablets appears to slightly decrease the detectability of the pellets within the tablets by TPI. TPI was shown to be a non-destructive method for the detection of pellets within the tablets and could resolve structures thicker than 30 μm. In conclusion, a proof-of-concept was provided for TPI as a method of quality control for MUPS tablets.

International audience; Despite predictions of the paperless office, global demand for printing and writing paper remains strong, and paper appears to be here to stay for some time. Not only firms, but also governments, libraries, and archives are in possession of large collections of legacy documents that still must be sorted and scanned. In this study, terahertz-based techniques are demonstrated to address several routine tasks related to the automated paper handling of unsorted legacy documents. Specifically, we demonstrate terahertz-based counting of the number of sheets in unconsolidated paper stacks, as well as locating stapled documents buried in paper stacks.

A key step in transforming terahertz imaging to a practical medical imaging modality lies in understanding the interactions between terahertz (THz) waves and biological tissues. Most of the models in the literature use the permittivity of liquid water to simulate the THz-tissue interactions, but they often neglect contributions from the biological background such as proteins and lipids because dehydrated biological samples are experimentally difficult to prepare. In this work, we present a method to prepare thin and flat dehydrated samples which can be easily handled and measured in a transmission setup. Our results will provide fundamental parameters for modelling THz-tissue interactions.

We present a rotational terahertz imaging system for inline nondestructive testing (NDT) of press sleeves for the paper industry during fabrication. Press sleeves often consist of polyurethane (PU) which is deposited by rotational molding on metal barrels and its outer surface mechanically processed in several milling steps afterwards. Due to a stabilizing polyester fiber mesh inlay, small defects can form on the sleeve’s backside already during the initial molding, however, they cannot be visually inspected until the whole production processes is completed. We have developed a fast-scanning frequenc-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) terahertz imaging system, which can be integrated into the manufacturing process to yield high resolution images of the press sleeves and therefore can help to visualize hidden structural defects at an early stage of fabrication. This can save valuable time and resources during the production process. Our terahertz system can record images at 0.3 and 0.5 THz and we achieve data acquisition rates of at least 20 kHz, exploiting the fast rotational speed of the barrels during production to yield sub-millimeter image resolution. The potential of automated defect recognition by a simple machine learning approach for anomaly detection is also demonstrated and discussed.

In order to shorten the long-term image acquisition time of the terahertz time domain spectroscopy imaging system while ensuring the imaging quality, a hybrid sparsity model (HSM) is proposed for fast terahertz imaging in this paper, which incorporates both intrinsic sparsity prior and nonlocal self-similarity constraints in a unified statistical model. In HSM, a weighted exponentiation shift-invariant wavelet transform is introduced to enhance the sparsity of the terahertz image. Simultaneously, the nonlocal self-similarity by means of the three-dimensional sparsity in the transform domain is exploited to ensure high-quality terahertz image reconstruction. Finally, a new split Bregman-based iteration algorithm is developed to solve the terahertz imaging model more efficiently. Experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

In this study, we developed a rapid three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight imaging tool for inspection of packaged semiconductor chips, using terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy techniques. A high-speed THz system based on the optical sampling by cavity tuning technique is incorporated with a 2-axis galvano scanner to deliver a scanning speed of more than 100 Hz/pixel with a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 20 dB. Through the use of the Hilbert transformation, we reconstruct the 3D structure of the packaged chip in a nondestructive manner. Additionally, the use of frequency-selective imaging allows us to manipulate image resolution, the higher resolution was obtained when monitored using the higher frequency component. Further, using phase information, we were able to detect and identify defects in the packaged chip, such as the delamination area and epoxy-rich regions.

Terahertz metamaterial sensors have received extensive attention in biosensing applications. However, sensitivity toward terahertz frequencies emitted by liquid samples remains challenging because of the strong absorption of terahertz waves by water. Here, we present a highly sensitive terahertz sensor based on a three-dimensional double I-type metamaterial integrated microfluidic channel. The designed sensor produces an inductive-capacitive (LC) resonance with a high quality factor of approximately 72, while demonstrating a maximum sensitivity of 832 GHz/RIU. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between the resonance frequency and ethanol concentration. These findings would promote the application of terahertz technology in label-free and rapid biomedical sensing as well as substance detection.