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Chemical sensing and imaging with pulsed terahertz radiation

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Abstract

Over the past decade, terahertz spectroscopy has evolved into a versatile tool for chemically selective sensing and imaging applications. In particular, the potential to coherently generate and detect short, and hence, broadband terahertz pulses led to the development of efficient and compact spectrometers for this interesting part of the electromagnetic spectrum, where common packaging materials are transparent and many chemical compounds show characteristic absorptions. Although early proof-of-principle demonstrations have shown the great potential of terahertz spectroscopy for sensing and imaging, the technology still often lacks the required sensitivity and suffers from its intrinsically poor spatial resolution. In this review we discuss the current potential of terahertz pulse spectroscopy and highlight recent technological advances geared towards both enhancing spectral sensitivity and increasing spatial resolution.

Artist's view of a terahertz pulse emitted from a photoconductive antenna probing the vibrational modes of a sugar molecule.

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Acknowledgements

M.W. acknowledges funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through grant no. WA 2641, by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Science and Arts Research Seed Capital (RiSC) for young researchers, and by the University of Freiburg.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Freiburg Materials Research Center, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Markus Walther, Alex Ortner, Andreas Bitzer, Andreas Thoman & Hanspeter Helm

  2. French-German Research Institute of Saint Louis, 5 rue du Général Cassagnou, BP 70034, 68301, Saint Louis Cedex, France

    Bernd M. Fischer

  3. University of Adelaide,School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

    Bernd M. Fischer

Authors
  1. Markus Walther
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  2. Bernd M. Fischer
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  3. Alex Ortner
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  4. Andreas Bitzer
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  5. Andreas Thoman
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  6. Hanspeter Helm
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Correspondence to Markus Walther.

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Walther, M., Fischer, B.M., Ortner, A. et al. Chemical sensing and imaging with pulsed terahertz radiation. Anal Bioanal Chem 397, 1009–1017 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3672-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-3672-1

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