Torch-sized devices create portable labs
could have a range of potential applications from disease diagnosis
is the target for researchers from the UK, who have been awarded
almost £1.2 million as part of a research programme.
The detectors are set to have direct applications in the field where it is not possible to call upon laboratory resources. It is hoped they could be used in applications such as screening for chemicals or drugs, to look for pollution in the local environment, and by doctors to help diagnosis.
The new devices, which would be the size of a normal torch, would use radiation in the THz (terahertz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
THz radiation falls between the infrared and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and can be imagined as either very high frequency radio waves, or as light, which is invisible to the naked eye.
"For a long time it has been quite difficult to generate and detect THz, but in recent years people have used large, powerful lasers to create pulses of THz radiation," said Professor Ian Henning, researcher at the department of Electronic Systems Engineering, University of Essex.
"This has proved very useful in medical applications to build up pictures of body tissue, rather like an x-ray, which can show up abnormalities."
Such devices require a large power supply and are usually bulky. With a small, low power device, which can run off batteries, the possibilities for practical applications open up enormously.
The collaborative project, funded by grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council totalling £2 million, is being conducted by a team of researchers in the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering in collaboration with academics from UCL (University College London), the Universities of Bath and Leeds, and the Centre for Integrated Photonics Ltd in Ipswich.
Other interesting areas for application include using THz in fossil imaging, analysing chemicals in gases, and as part of astronomical observations.
The Portable Terehertz Systems Based on Advanced InP Technology (PORTRAIT) project is due to be completed in 2008.
