MRI: Development of Tomographic Imaging Instrumentation with Terahertz Radiation

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

Development of Tomographic Imaging Instrumentation with Terahertz Radiation A Project Summary The Center for Terahertz (THz) Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is seeking NSF support for the development of a THz wave tomographic imaging system that will provide the first-ever THz capability to produce real-time, large-scale, long-distance, three-dimensional (3D) images. Like conventional X-ray CT systems, the THz system will provide 3D mapping of structured objects, but without subjecting biological tissue to harmful radiation. In addition, it will offer important spectroscopic information that conventional systems cannot supply. The instrumentation will provide real-time images across an ultra-wide frequency band, extending from 100 gigahertz to 10 terahertz, at a variable frame rate from single-shot up to 1,000 frames per second, and it will be able to non-invasively image moving objects, turbulent flows, or explosions. THz research is central to Rensselaer's strategic plan because it is a key enabling technology for both of the university's major focus areas, information technology and biotechnology. Rensselaer has strongly supported the formation of the THz Center, with Dr. Zhang as founding director. The university is providing 5,000 square feet of laboratory space, substantial financial support for renovation and equipment, and three new faculty positions in the next four years, with a concomitant increase in graduate and undergraduate researchers. Intellectual merit: The proposed instrumentation will be an important step forward for THz science. During the last decade, Rensselaer's team has been exploring this previously hidden portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is located between the infrared and the microwave bands. Basic THz science and technology is in its infancy, but as it improves, it has the potential to trigger transformational advances that will impact economic development and quality of life at every level. Examples of interdisciplinary fields that could gain important new instrumentation include homeland security, biomedical research, communications, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and forensic science. Broader impact: Successful development of the equipment will have a broad impact. In recent years, worldwide excitement about this field has grown exponentially, as evidenced by an expanding number of research groups that have published more than 1,400 scientific papers on THz science since 1990. During the last several years, scientists and engineers from 75 universities, companies, and clinics have visited Rensselaer THz-related programs, and Rensselaer's team has helped scientists from 18 countries learn how to use THz sensors. This new instrumentation will be a key enabling technology for the THz Center, providing new research capabilities for an interdisciplinary group of Rensselaer faculty, postdoctoral associates, and graduate and undergraduate students, as well as for visiting scientists and external collaborators. It will be used to test numerous advanced sensing and imaging concepts in the THz frequency range, with immediate concentration on homeland security and a longer-term interest in biomedical applications. Jefferson Laboratory, UC Santa Barbara, and Rensselaer have proposed creation of the National THz User Facility, and this system would be at the heart of one of the user nodes. Based on past experience with Rensselaer's THz research, the instrumentation is also expected to provide a model for systems that will be developed in laboratories around the world.