Terahertz polarization-sensitive rectangular pipe waveguides.

We propose square and rectangular pipe waveguides for low-loss THz waveguiding and polarization control. Different from common circular-symmetric THz fibers and waveguides, the proposed rectangular pipe waveguides successfully remove the transmission degeneracy of two orthogonal polarizations and possess polarization sensitivity to the guided THz waves. By measuring the attenuation spectra, we find that the polarization sensitivity depends on the structure of the pipe waveguides. With butt coupling method, it is easy to combine circular pipe waveguides and the rectangular ones.

High-sensitivity in vivo THz transmission imaging of early human breast cancer in a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model.

We performed in vivo THz transmission imaging study on a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model for early human breast cancer detection. With a THz-fiber-scanning transmission imaging system, we continuously monitored the growth of human breast cancer in mice. Our in vivo study not only indicates that THz transmission imaging can distinguish cancer from the surrounding fatty tissue, but also with a high sensitivity. Our in vivo study on the subcutaneous xenograft mouse model will encourage broad and further investigations for future early cancer screening by using THz imaging system.

Terahertz pipe-waveguide-based directional couplers.

We experimentally demonstrate a terahertz (THz) leaky mode directional coupler for future THz applications. The proposed directional coupler comprises two square pipe waveguides. The coupling efficiency is investigated for different frequencies, polarizations, and core sizes. Rectangular pipe-waveguide-based directional couplers and the issue of insertion loss are also discussed. It is found that the THz directional coupler works most efficiently in the minimal-attenuation wavelength regime.

Bending loss of terahertz pipe waveguides.

We present an experimental study on the bending loss of terahertz (THz) pipe waveguide. Bending loss of pipe waveguides is investigated for various frequencies, polarizations, core diameters, cladding thicknesses, and cladding materials. Our results indicate that the pipe waveguides with lower guiding loss suffer lower bending loss due to stronger mode confinement. The unexpected low bending loss in the investigated simple leaky waveguide structure promises variety of flexible applications.

Fiber-based swept-source terahertz radar.

We demonstrate an all-terahertz swept-source imaging radar operated at room temperature by using terahertz fibers for radiation delivery and with a terahertz-fiber directional coupler acting as a Michelson interferometer. By taking advantage of the high water reflection contrast in the low terahertz regime and by electrically sweeping at a high speed a terahertz source combined with a fast rotating mirror, we obtained the living object's distance information with a high image frame rate. Our experiment showed that this fiber-based swept-source terahertz radar could be used in real time to locate concealed moving live objects with high stability.

THz interferometric imaging using subwavelength plastic fiber based THz endoscopes.

We demonstrate a new reflective imaging technique using continuous-wave THz fiber-endoscopy, in which the sample is placed behind the output of a THz subwavelength plastic fiber and the Fabry Perot interference is formed therein. 3D THz reflective images with a reasonable SNR as well as high lateral and subwavelength axial resolutions are acquired by moving the sample along the axial (z) direction and by 2D scanning the output end of the subwavelength plastic fiber without any focusing medium. By analyzing the axial-position dependent THz signals backward collected by the subwavelength plastic fiber, the THz reflection amplitudes and phases on the sample surface can be successfully reconstructed.

All-terahertz fiber-scanning near-field microscopy.

We demonstrate a room-temperature-operated all-terahertz (THz) fiber-scanning near-field imaging system. The upright-type THz near-field microscope has a compact size, capable of being integrated with an optical microscope. This transmission illumination near-field system could be a promising tool to distinguish breast cancer from the normal tissue without pathologic staining.