Real-Time Near-Field Terahertz Imaging with Atomic Optical Fluorescence

Wade, C.G.; Šibalić, N.; De Melo, N.R.; Kondo, J.M.; Adams, C.S.; Weatherill, K.J.

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) near-field imaging is a flourishing discipline, with applications from fundamental studies of beam propagation to the characterization of metamaterials, and waveguides. Beating the diffraction limit typically involves rastering structures or detectors with length scale shorter than the radiation wavelength; in the THz domain this has been achieved using a number of techniques including scattering tips and apertures. Alternatively, mapping THz fields onto an optical wavelength and imaging the visible light removes the requirement for scanning a local probe, speeding up image collection times. Here, we report THz-to-optical conversion using a gas of highly excited Rydberg atoms. By collecting THz-induced optical fluorescence we demonstrate a real-time image of a THz standing wave and use well-known atomic properties to calibrate the THz field strength.

Citation

Wade, C., Šibalić, N., De Melo, N., Kondo, J., Adams, C., & Weatherill, K. (2017). Real-Time Near-Field Terahertz Imaging with Atomic Optical Fluorescence. Nature Photonics, 11(1), 40-43. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.214

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 4, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Nov 7, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Mar 11, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 7, 2017
• Journal: Nature Photonics
• Print ISSN: 1749-4885
• Electronic ISSN: 1749-4893
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 40-43
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.214
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1386387
• Related Public URLs: http://arxiv.org/abs/1603.07107