Terahertz Photonics

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The primary aim of this proposal is the development of diffractive photoniccomponents for the terahertz spectral range, and the exploration of terahertzpulse propagation in strongly diffractive media. One primary aim of thisproposal is to develop a range of new and useful optical components specificallydesigned for the far infrared, or terahertz, spectral range, based on theconcepts of photonic crystals. Researchers have made tremendous strides in theuse of periodically diffractive materials for optical components, with examplesranging from fiber Bragg gratings to colloidal crystal notch filters. Suchsystems could also be useful as waveguides, filters, tunable dispersive optics,and as components for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). However, theseideas have rarely been implemented at terahertz frequencies, a portion of thespectrum with increasing technological importance. Another important aspect ofthe proposed research involves the propagation of THz radiation in stronglyscattering media. This area of research has been of substantial interest inrecent years, motivated by the prospect of achieving localization ofelectromagnetic waves. Interestingly, although a clear demonstration of lightlocalization is quite difficult in the optical regime, this research has led tothe development of techniques for imaging in turbid media. Since many of theexpected applications of THz imaging involve turbid or scattering media, it willbe valuable to extend these imaging studies to the THz regime