Terahertz technology continues to advance both in terms of terahertz sources and terahertz detectors, with new applications coming to the fore weekly. Note that some recent breakthroughs are based on quantum-cascade laser (QCL) technology:
1. Researchers from EPFL and ETHZ have created a CW terahertz-radiation-emitting QCL that produces single-mode surface emission with a 3 mW output power at 3.12 THz in a collimated beam:
Terahertz quantum-cascade laser emits 3 mW continuous-wave
2. Researchers at Northwestern University developed a room-temperature terahertz source—a dream device that has been sought by terahertz researchers for decades—based on nonlinear mixing of two mid-infrared wavelengths at 9.3 microns and 10.4 microns inside a single quantum cascade laser:
Northwestern Researchers Develop Compact, High-Power Terahertz Source at Room Temperature
3. Advanced Photonix Inc. (API), maker of terahertz systems, is getting mainstream attention and will be touting terahertz technology and its ability "to solve some of the most difficult quality control and nondestructive testing applications around the world":
Advanced Photonix Selected to Appear on 21st Century Business Television Series
4. A recent article on Laser Focus World's website describes TeraView's TPS Spectra 3000 system and its ability to perform terahertz spectral characterization of different explosives; the system uses terahertz radiation from 0.060 THz to 3.5 THz to determine the refractive index, absorbance, and complex permittivity of the explosive samples:
TeraView terahertz spectroscopic system characterizes small explosive samples
5. A high-performance terahertz receiver aiming for space missions such as ESA's "Jupiter icy moons explorer" or JUICE has been developed in a joint European effort led by Chalmers University of Technology:
Terahertz sensor aiming for Jupiter's moons
