Principles of Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a unique technique for characterizing the response of materials and devices in the far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Based on the measurement of transmitted or reflected ultra-short electromagnetic pulses and on a Fourier-transform of the recorded waveforms, THz-TDS permits fast and precise determination of the permittivity or permeability of materials over a wide bandwidth. This book is devoted to the determination of this spectral response of samples from the recorded waveforms.

Jean-Louis Coutaz is a professor of physics at Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France, and is the deputy director of L'Institut de Microélectronique Electromagnétisme et Photonique et le Laboratoire d'Hyperfréquences et de Caractérisation (IMEP-LaHC), where he has been leading research activities in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), electro-optic sampling, and ultrafast semiconductors since 1994.

Frédéric Garet is an associate professor of optoelectronics at IMEP-LaHC. He defended his PhD in 1997 on THz-TDS, and since then, his research focuses on the precise characterization of materials and devices using THz-TDS and on developing methods for identification and authentication in the THz domain.

Vincent Wallace is an associate professor of physics at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. He graduated with a PhD in physics from the University of London in 1997. After three years at the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California Irvine, he joined Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. and subsequently TeraView Ltd., Cambridge, UK, where he developed biomedical applications of terahertz technology. In 2007, he moved to the University of Western Australia where he continues to work on terahertz and optical technologies.