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Pioneers of Terahertz at Rensselaer for Dedication of New Lab
President Shirley Ann Jackson, Dean of Science Joe Flaherty, Physics Chair Gwo-Ching Wang, Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor of Science, and honored guests will join the Rensselaer community in dedicating the W. M. Keck Laboratory for Terahertz Science within the Center for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer. The Dec. 5 dedication ceremonies will include a “Conversation on Terahertz” and a “Technical Symposium on Terahertz Research.” The programs will be held in the George M. Low Center for industrial Innovation, Room 4050, beginning at 10:45 a.m., and are free and open to the public.
Zhang, along with two other distinguished pioneers in terahertz research — Daniel Grischkowsky, Regents Professor and the Bellmon Professor of Optoelectronics in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Center for Laser and Engineering Photonics Research at Oklahoma State University; and Yuen-Ron Shen, Professor, Physics at the University of California at Berkeley and principal investigator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 1967 — will participate in the “Conversation on Terahertz Research,” which begins at 11 a.m.
The afternoon “Technical Symposium on Terahertz Research” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. will include an overview of terahertz science, its history and promise, a review of research devices, and a discussion of potential applications.
The new Keck laboratory, on the ninth floor of the Low Center for Industrial Innovation, will expand the Institute’s pioneering work in the development of terahertz science and technology. The terahertz frequency range, which lies between microwave and infrared frequencies, presents the next frontier in imaging science and technology.
Terahertz has a range of potential applications including medical imaging, forensic science, and food safety. Using a technique pioneered by researchers at Rensselaer, terahertz radiation has already been used to uncover small defects in a sample of space shuttle foam. This nondestructive method could help National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials examine the insulating foam that is applied to each shuttle’s fuel tank prior to launch.
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