With support from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities Instrument Development program, Geoffrey Blake of the Department of Chemistry and Scott Fraser of the Department of Biology at California Institute of Technology in conjunction with Peter H. Siegel of the Jet Propulsion laboratory will develop a compact integrated time domain and frequency domain Terahertz spectrometer. The novelty of this instrument development project is the generation of the two phase coherent THz pulses from two 20 fs Ti:Sapphire lasers, which has not been demonstrated. This system will operate as a user facility allowing for broad access of use. The system will be used in several applications including (1) biological imaging to characterize nano-materials and biological systems, (2) national security imaging applications and (3) optoelectronic applications which may lead to breakthroughs in telecommunications and optical computing.
A wide range of additional students, postdoctoral fellows and senior researchers will benefit from the anticipated THz capabilities. Outreach activities through existent programs will encourage the participation of undergraduates and K-12 students.
