Torch-sized THz detector

Researchers at the

have been awarded almost £1.2 million as part of a programme to develop a new generation of portable, handheld radiation detectors that could have a range of potential applications from disease diagnosis to weapons detection.

The new devices, which would be the size of a normal torch, will detect radiation in the THz (terahertz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is hoped they could be used in applications such as screening for explosive chemicals or drugs to help with security and crime prevention, to look for pollution in the local environment, and by doctors to help diagnosis.

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 in Ipswich.