Ultrathin terahertz radiation source consists of several layers of atoms

Terahertz sources emit short pulses of light that oscillate trillions of times per

give me a sec.At this scale they are too fast to be processed using standard electronics. However, until recently they were too slow to be processed using optical technologies.

Terahertz radiation is importantfor the development of ultra-fast communication devices above the 300 GHz limit. For example, for 6G mobile phone technology. This is still fundamentally beyond the capabilities of modern electronics.

Scientists from the Emergent Photonics Lab (EPic) atSussex, UK, developed a semiconductor terahertz source. It is 10 times thinner than analogs, and its characteristics are better than previous models.

Thin layers can be easily placed over existing onesobjects and devices. This means that a terahertz source can be placed on a variety of surfaces - even on a teapot or a piece of art. The authors of the development note that this creates enormous potential for the fight against counterfeiting, the development of the Internet of things and next-generation electronics.

Terahertz (THz) radiation - typeelectromagnetic radiation, the frequency spectrum of which is located between the well-studied infrared and microwave ranges. The boundaries between these types of radiation are defined differently in different sources. The maximum allowable THz frequency range is 3 · 1011-3 · 1012 Hz, the wavelength range is 1-0.1 mm, respectively. Such waves are also called submillimeter waves. In English, this range is called the terahertz gap, indicating the weak development of technologies for the emission and manipulation of terahertz waves. Unlike its neighbors in the spectrum, the generation of terahertz radiation remains a complex and expensive process even today.

T-rays (the second name for terahertz waves) witheasily penetrate many materials and, unlike X-rays, are harmless due to the lack of ionizing properties. Therefore, for example, in medicine, terahertz tomographs are actively used, which allow examining the upper layers of the human body (skin, blood vessels and muscles). T-beams are used to scan people and baggage at airports, as well as to inspect the quality of various materials in industry.

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