TERANET: An EPSRC Network for UK researchers in terahertz science and technology

英国在太赫兹（THz）频率科学和技术方面具有国际领先优势，全国有20多个研究小组致力于太赫兹技术开发（源，探测器，系统）和应用研究的互补方面。英国还拥有世界领先的太赫兹仪器公司，例如TeraView， e2v和QMC仪器。英国的这一地位是通过过去10-15年的长期和重大战略投资建立起来的，主要来自EPSRC，但也来自其他来源，包括STFC，欧盟，欧空局，英国政府机构和行业。在这些研究小组的互补实验方法和仪器的开发中，存在着真正和明显的协同作用，以及与广泛的技术最终用户接触以帮助共同定义研究的潜力。然而，碎片化的危险越来越大，特别是在该领域已经成熟到单个设备和技术已经开发的阶段，但它们的集成和针对单个应用程序的目标配置仍有待实现的时候。这种情况在太赫兹领域得到了认可，事实上，作为EPSRC塑造能力练习的一部分，研究委员会表示，“寻求开发集成技术的太赫兹设备研究，利用设备物理学的主体来推动应用能力，将被认为是一个高优先级”。目前，英国很少有正式的互动机制，可以以类似的方式提供这种必要的重点，例如，在美国（通过太赫兹科学技术网络）和日本（通过太赫兹技术论坛）。来自几家英国集团的人员定期参加在美国/欧洲/远东举行的年度国际IRMMW/THz会议，每三年轮换一次。这样做的好处是为广阔的微波-太赫兹领域提供了一个国际视角，但它的焦点非常笼统，并且是建立新的英国合作的低效手段。虽然存在与太赫兹社区相关的其他国际会议系列(例如；ITQW, EP2DS， ISSTT)，它们的主题内容是高度专业化的，因此它们代表了英国太赫兹技术基础和能力的有限子集。因此，迫切需要一个EPSRC网络，为英国的太赫兹科学和技术研究提供重点，并作为英国交流思想、实验技术、理论模型、科学见解、技术发展和商业驱动因素的中心论坛。该提案的目的是在太赫兹科学和技术领域组建一个英国网络，特别关注特定应用的太赫兹系统的开发，为新的跨学科合作的发展提供凝聚力和重点。这个名为TERANET的网络将为研究小组提供一个互动的焦点，与应用最终用户接触，与英国主要工业联系人会面，并加快跨学科建议和研究计划的发展。该网络还将帮助制定英国太赫兹频率研究和开发的路线图。我们的目标是利用英国在该领域相当大的临界质量，以及社区合作的意愿。

The UK has internationally leading strengths in terahertz (THz) frequency science and technology, with over 20 research groups across the country working on complementary aspects of THz technology development (sources, detectors, systems) and applications research. The UK also hosts world-leading THz instrumentation companies including, for example, TeraView, e2v, and QMC Instruments. This position in the UK has been built up through a long-standing and significant strategic investment over the last 10-15 years predominantly from the EPSRC, but also from other sources including the STFC, EU, ESA, UK government agencies, and industry.There is a real and evident synergy in the development of complementary experimental methods and instrumentation across these research groups, as well as potential to engage with a wide range of technology end-users to help co-define the research. However, there is a growing danger of fragmentation, particularly at a time when the field has matured to a stage where individual devices and techniques have become developed, yet their integration and targeted configuration for individual applications is still to be realized. This situation is recognized in the THz community, and indeed as part of the EPSRC shaping capability exercise, the research council stated that "research in terahertz devices that seeks to develop integrated technologies, drawing on the body of device physics to push application capabilities will be considered to be a high priority". Currently, there are few mechanisms for formal interaction across the UK, which would deliver this necessary focus, in a similar way to that achieved, for example, in the USA (by the THz Science and Technology Network) and in Japan (by the THz Technology Forum). Personnel from several UK groups regularly attend the annual international IRMMW/THz conference, held in the US/Europe/Far East by three-yearly rotation. This has the advantage of providing an international perspective on the broad microwave-THz field, but it has a very general focus, and is an inefficient means to forge new UK-based collaborations. Though other international conference series exist with relevance to the THz community (eg. ITQW, EP2DS, ISSTT), their thematic content is highly specialized, and as such they represent a limited subset of the UK THz technology-base and capability.There is hence a compelling need for an EPSRC network to provide a focus to THz science and technology research in the UK, and to act as a central UK forum for the exchange of ideas, experimental techniques, theoretical models, scientific insights technological developments, and commercial drivers. It is the purpose of this proposal to assemble a UK network in the area of THz science and technology, focusing in particular on the development of application-specific terahertz systems, to provide cohesion and a focus for development of new interdisciplinary collaborations. This network, TERANET, will provide a focal point for research groups to interact, to engage with application end-users, to meet with the major UK industrial contacts, and to expedite the development of interdisciplinary proposals and research programmes. The network will also help develop a roadmap for THz frequency research and development in the UK. The goal is to capitalize on the considerable UK critical mass in the area, and the willingness of the community to collaborate.