MRI: Development of Backward Wave Oscillator Tunable Broadband THz Source for THz Electronics Research, THz-Materials Research and THz-Imaging

摘要知识优势：开发新型太赫兹材料和器件需要窄带宽、宽可调谐（0.03 ~ 0.9太赫兹）、高功率（1 ~ 50mw）、室温下工作的太赫兹辐射源。这种源并不存在，它们的发展对于太赫兹电子学和光子学的进一步发展至关重要。这个项目将建立这样一个基于商用后向波振荡器（BWOs）的系统。这一发展将涉及设计和制造宽带可调谐太赫兹源，在同一光学台上使用多个bwo向同一样品发射太赫兹辐射，并允许校准功率曝光。此外，将利用宽带可调谐BWO太赫兹辐射源开发相敏高分辨率太赫兹光谱和太赫兹成像的实验装置。该仪器将推进太赫兹等离子体波电子学、磁性纳米结构以及太赫兹化学和爆炸成像的最新研究。更广泛的影响：独特的太赫兹系统不仅可供伦斯勒学院的教师、研究生和本科生使用，而且可供我们的大量合作者、许多美国大学的其他教师和学生使用，包括来自HBCU的教师，如霍华德大学和莫尔豪斯学院。本科生研究参与（URP）是由pi与物理系的NSF本科生暑期研究经验（REU）计划和伦斯勒理工学院本科教育办公室赞助的URP计划合作组织的。参与的研究生的研究与IGERT项目太赫兹科学与技术工作室方法相结合。来自代表性不足群体的学生，如非裔美国人和伦斯勒大学的女学生，将积极参与。作为教育和推广活动的一部分，我们建议制作一部以“骑在t波上”为主题的动画电影，以教育和娱乐儿童，类似于备受好评的molecular ariumtm动画。

AbstractIntellectual merit: The development of new THz materials and devices requires narrow bandwidth, broadly tunable (0.03-0.9 THz), and high power (1-50mW) THz radiation sources, which operate at room temperature. Such sources do not exist and their development is essential for further development of THz electronics and photonics. This project will build such a system based on commercially available Backward Wave Oscillators (BWOs). This development will involve the design and fabrication of the broadband tunable THz source with multiple BWOs on the same optical table beaming THz radiation on the same sample and allowing for calibrated power exposure. Furthermore, experimental setups for phase-sensitive high-resolution THz-spectroscopy and THz-imaging will be developed using the broadband tunable BWO THz-radiation source. The instrumentation will advance the state-of-the-art research in THz plasma wave electronics, magnetic nanostructures and THz chemical and explosive imaging.Broader impact: The unique THz system will be made readily available not only to Rensselaer faculty, graduate and undergraduate students but also to a large number of our collaborators, other faculty and students at many US universities, including faculty from HBCU, such as, Howard University and Morehouse College. Undergraduate Research Participation (URP) is organized by the PIs in collaboration with the NSF Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program of the Physics Department and the URP program sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The research of the participating graduate students is integrated with the IGERT program Terahertz Science & Technology A Studio Approach. Students from underrepresented groups such as African American and female students at Rensselaer will be strongly involved. As part of the educational and outreach activities we propose the production of an animated movie on the topic of "Riding on T-waves" for education and entertainment of children, similar to the highly praised MoleculariumTM animation.