Biomedical applications of terahertz pusled imaging and spectroscopy

Terahertz frequency radiation lies between the millimetre and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum (THz = 10^12 Hz, 1 THz corresponds to 4.14 meV). Terahertz radiation is non-ionising and able to probe intermolecular vibrations such as hydrogen bonds which occur naturally in biological systems. Additionally, terahertz imaging methods are able to obtain an axial resolution of around 40 microns (depending on the refractive index of the sample). Thus, terahertz imaging and spectroscopy can be used to probe both the structure and composition of biological samples and several potential medical applications are currently being investigated. In this talk terahertz imaging and spectroscopy techniques will be introduced and recent research into potential medical applications for the future will be presented.