"Terahertz Spectroscopy: The
Generation and Detection of a Terahertz Pulse"
Lara Northrop, Advisor: Dr. M. Elizabeth Parks
The relatively new technique of time domain terahertz spectroscopy has gained much
respect in
the field of condensed matter physics as one of the best ways to learn about the response
of a
material in this frequency range. In the experimental apparatus, the terahertz pulse is
created by a
generator antenna and guided by a mirror system to the sample. When the pulse is
transmitted
through the sample, prperties of the terahertz pulse become altered. The alteration of the
pulse
by the sample is determined by measuring the electric field of the pulse at a detector
antenna.
This experimental methos allows the complete characterization of a sample from a single
measurement of transmission.