Terahertz technology, one of the "top ten technologies that will change the future world", will be applied in the medical field

Terahertz technology can be applied to many fields such as national defense, security, astronomy, medical treatment, scientific research, etc. It is an extremely important cutting-edge technology in the world today and has huge market value. Let's learn about the relevant content with the editor of Medical Electronics.

I believe that most people are familiar with infrared light, laser and microwave technologies, but few people know about terahertz technology. In this regard, People's Daily Online interviewed Yao Jianquan, a famous laser and nonlinear optics expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and researchers engaged in terahertz technology-related fields.

As early as 2004, the United States first proposed terahertz (THz, 10Hz) technology and listed it as one of the "top ten technologies that will change the future world". So, what exactly is terahertz technology? What is its charm that attracts the attention of scientists around the world? What impact will it have on people's lives? With these questions, People's Daily Online interviewed Yao Jianquan, a famous laser and nonlinear optics expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and researchers in the field of terahertz technology to unveil the mystery of terahertz technology.

The United States rated terahertz technology as one of the "top ten technologies that will change the future world"

"Terahertz technology has a name that has become well-known to the public in the field of optics in recent years - far infrared." Yao Jianquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that in reality there are various types of light waves such as electromagnetic waves, vibration waves, gamma rays, and X-rays, and terahertz waves are the least understood and least developed band by humans so far.

In 2004, terahertz (THz, 10Hz) technology was first proposed by American scientists, and the US government rated terahertz technology as one of the "top ten technologies that will change the future world"; in 2005, Japan listed it as the first of the "top ten key strategic goals of the national pillar" and made a national effort to carry out research and development. The research on terahertz technology has become a specialized discipline and one of the most important emerging disciplines in this century.

"Terahertz refers to radiation with a frequency of 0.1 to 10 THz on the electromagnetic spectrum, and a wavelength range of 0.03 to 3 mm, which is between radio waves and light waves." Academician Yao Jianquan said that terahertz waves have technical characteristics such as strong penetration, high safety, good directionality, and high bandwidth. In addition, the energy released by terahertz is very small and will not cause harmful photoionization to the human body. Therefore, compared with X-rays, terahertz is a safer security inspection technology.

In addition, Yao Jianquan said that terahertz has a strong penetrating ability. It can not only detect metals, but also identify dangerous items such as non-metals, colloids, powders, ceramics, liquids, etc. At present, terahertz human body security inspection equipment has been put into use at home and abroad, greatly improving the efficiency of security inspection.

Terahertz technology can be applied to many fields such as national defense and medical treatment

Terahertz's "wall-penetrating technique" may also be able to change the battlefield situation during combat. Yao Jianquan introduced that it can not only detect weapons hidden behind walls and armed personnel in disguised ambush, but also reveal tanks, artillery and other equipment in dust or smoke, thereby effectively improving the troops' street fighting capabilities.

Not only that, terahertz imaging technology can be more "clearly aware" of the detection and identification of plastic weapons, ceramic pistols, plastic bombs, fluid explosives and human bombs. By using strong terahertz radiation to illuminate the road surface, it can also detect the distribution of underground minefields from a long distance.

In addition to military terahertz technology, Academician Yao Jianquan believes that it is precisely because of the many superior properties of terahertz rays - including low energy, strong absorption and resonance of many biological macromolecules, the ability to penetrate matter with very little attenuation, high signal-to-noise ratio, wide bandwidth, etc., that it can be applied to national defense, security, astronomy, medical treatment, scientific research and many other fields. It is an extremely important cutting-edge technology in the world today and has huge market value.

Passengers are putting their luggage into the security machine

Terahertz technology will become an important cutting-edge technology that will change the future world

There are also media reports that the advent of terahertz body scanners marks that my country has reached the international leading level in the field of terahertz security inspection. In particular, the imaging technology has an imaging resolution of less than 5 mm, that is, an object the size of an ant can be identified. In the future, it can be widely used in security inspection areas in airports, customs, high-speed railways, subways, etc.

"Terahertz waves are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength between infrared and microwaves, and can penetrate plastic products and clothing." Yao Jianquan introduced that some countries may have malicious letters carrying anthrax bacteria. In response to this, Japan has specially developed and produced dozens of machines for units in need to check mail, because terahertz technology can not only detect images, but also measure the characteristics of material components, and realize the detection of a variety of objects, such as drugs, explosives, etc.

Yao Jianquan introduced that terahertz waves have very important academic and application value. Due to the special position of terahertz waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, it has many superior characteristics. It has broad application prospects in the fields of astrophysics, plasma physics, spectroscopy, materials science, biology, medical imaging, environmental science, information science, etc., in the special spectral information analysis of material molecules, non-destructive testing and three-dimensional tomography of materials and structures, anti-terrorism inspection of prohibited items, live inspection of biological tissues, high-precision confidential radar, and broadband communication between satellites.

The above is an introduction to how terahertz technology, one of the “top ten technologies that will change the future world” in medical electronics, will be applied in the medical field. If you want to know more related information, please pay more attention to eeworld. eeworld Electronic Engineering will provide you with more complete, detailed and updated information.