State-of-the-Art Terahertz Science and Technology II

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Optics and Lasers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 1166

Special Issue Editor

Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Interests: non-linear; optics; laser–matter interaction; THz
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

You are cordially invited to submit your original research or review articles to this Special Issue on "THz Science and Technology" in Applied Sciences.

This Special Issue is dedicated to all scientific research concerning terahertz radiation: from applications of great interest that exploit the properties of this radiation (spectroscopy, communication, imaging, etc.) to the technological development of the various sources (PCA, QCL, etc.) and detectors (bolometers, PCA, etc.) or detection schemes which can be adopted in various different configurations

The scientific interest in THz radiation (0.3–5 THz) derives from the many optical properties that many materials exhibit at these frequencies. That is, THz is sensitive to polar molecules such as water, but at the same time interacts only very weakly with material composed of non-polar molecules such as plastic and ceramic, and is reflected by most metals. It is less affected by scattering from atmospheric particulates compared to shorter-wavelength radiation, and at these frequencies many molecules have their fingerprints due to roto-vibrational motion, collective modes in crystal lattices, etc.

Some specific topics include:

1) Physics/engineering science for the characterization of new materials to fulfill the increasing needs for electronics and photonics; security applications such as drug, weapon, and explosives recognition. Moreover, THz technology meets the 5G WCS network capacity requirements and is an appealing solution for emerging indoor short-range applications. As a consequence, the design, characterization, and fabrication of protection systems against THz electromagnetic (EM) interference have become subjects of EM compatibility research.

2) Biomedicine: the weak interactions including hydrogen and van der Waals bonds can be probed by THz spectroscopy. Moreover, due to its sensitivity to water, THz can monitor the hydration level, allowing the differentiation between normal and cancer tissues and the assessment of the living state of bacteria, and thanks to its non-ionizing properties is suitable for medical in vivo diagnosis without being harmful for the patient.

3) Climate and Environment: THz is of great interest for monitoring soil, water, and air pollutants.

4) Agri-food analysis and quality control: THz can be a competitive detection method for inspecting hidden physiological threats and defects through its capability of recognizing foreign bodies, determining pesticide and antibiotic residues in agri-food products, and characterizing edible oils and genetically modified food.

5) Cultural heritage: non-destructive evaluation of the structures of targets or of hidden material and, therefore, suitability for non-invasive diagnostics for cultural heritage.

This Special Issue is an opportunity to further disseminate the scientific and technological development related to THz radiation.

Prof. Dr. Petrarca Massimo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • THz sources and detectors
  • THz spectroscopy
  • THz optics
  • Linear and non-linear THz response of materials
  • Dust and pollution
  • Environmental science
  • Metamaterials
  • THz for communication
  • THz for transmission line and waveguide
  • THz applications
  • THz propagation
  • High-field THz
  • THz for accelerator physics
  • THz for plasma diagnostics
  • Linear and non-linear optics

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 2357 KiB  
Article
Low-Frequency Vibrations of Saccharides Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy and Ab-Initio Simulations
by Andreea Aura Paraipan, Nicole Luchetti, Adriano Mosca Conte, Olivia Pulci and Mauro Missori
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(17), 9719; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179719 - 28 Aug 2023
Viewed by 745
Abstract
The vibrational properties of molecular crystals in the terahertz range are controlled by the interplay of intermolecular and intramolecular interactions. The resulting delocalized normal modes span a substantial number of atoms within the unit cell of the molecular crystals and cannot be easily [...] Read more.
The vibrational properties of molecular crystals in the terahertz range are controlled by the interplay of intermolecular and intramolecular interactions. The resulting delocalized normal modes span a substantial number of atoms within the unit cell of the molecular crystals and cannot be easily attributed to a specific stretching or bending mode. Several compounds were studied to understand the nature of normal modes. However, a systematic analysis of saccharides is still missing. This study investigates the terahertz vibrational properties of various saccharides, including glucose, galactose, lactose, cellobiose, and cellulose. The terahertz spectra were measured using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The samples were carefully characterized, and the residual Fabry–Perot oscillations were removed to obtain the absorption coefficient and refractive index of the saccharides. Density functional theory simulations were used to obtain theoretical terahertz spectra, considering hydrogen bonding interactions with an enhanced version of the van der Waals non-local density functional. The results revealed differences in low-energy vibrational modes frequencies, influenced by molecular structure properties, hydrogen bonding networks, and water content. Librations and internal vibrations were identified as dominant dynamics in the saccharides, with significant mixing between intermolecular and intramolecular vibrations. This comprehensive analysis sheds light on the vibrational behavior of saccharides in the terahertz range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Terahertz Science and Technology II)
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