Description
THz imaging and THz technologies are of great interest for a variety of applications, including non-destructive testing and medical diagnosis. Here, we demonstrate a THz imaging setup that employs Cs Rydberg atoms as THz-to-optical photon converters to provide full field images at many thousands of frames per second, that can be captured with conventional optical cameras.1 The primary mechanism that enables this is the introduction of a strong visible decay pathway when the atoms are coupled with a terahertz field. Due to the density of Rydberg energy states, a relatively continuous spectrum of THz frequencies can imaged by careful choice of these states; we show imaging capabilities at 0.55THz and 1.05THz, for example. Full characterization of the system and progress towards a Rb imager will extend its versatility, and open up the potential for two-colour imaging.
[1] L. A. Downes, A. R. MacKellar, D. J. Whiting, C. Bourgenot, C. S. Adams, and K. J. Weatherill, “Full-field terahertz imaging at kilohertz frame rates using atomic vapor,” Phys. Rev. X 10, 011027 (2020).
| Presenter name | Matt Jamieson |
|---|---|
| How will you attend ICAP-27? | I am planning on in-person attendance |
