tranquilo
Bluelighter
the drug war continues: 30-15 to science
(sorry about the crap spacing)
T-rays take over from X-rays
the observer: Sunday July 2, 2000
Detectors that can exploit T-rays - electromagnetic pulses generated at a rate of a trillion a second - may soon be used to pinpoint cocaine smugglers and discover tumours in cancer patients.
Physicists from Europe, the US and
Japan reported on terahertz technology
last week - and revealed that detectors
based on it could be installed in airports and hospitals within three years.
At a meeting in Toulouse organised by
Nato, delegates said they had already
used terahertz, or T-rays, to spot breast
cancer cells and to pinpoint illegal drugs.
'Terahertz radiation is safe, so we should
be able to use it in a wide variety of
settings,' said Professor Martyn
Chamberlain, of Leeds University's
Institute of Microwaves and Photonics. 'In addition, T-rays not only give you an idea of the shape of a hidden object, they also let you know what it is made of - and that is extremely important.'
Military officials believe T-rays could
pinpoint the chemical constituents of
anti-personnel mines, and spot terrorists carrying explosives into airports. Doctors are interested in T-rays because they are less damaging to living tissue than X-rays.
Terahertz radiation is slightly more
energetic than that of microwave ovens, and slightly less energetic than the infra-red light emitted by TV remote controls.
Generating pulses in this region of the
electromagnetic spectrum is hard and has
only recently been achieved with newly
developed infra-red lasers. When these
are directed on to special sheets of
semi-conductor material, they emit
terahertz pulses.
'Creating T-rays is still a relatively crude
business but we are now making good
progress,' said Chamberlain.
When terahertz radiation strikes a target,
it sets its constituent molecules vibrating and rotating in ways that define the
substance. Semtex molecules vibrate
differently from cocaine molecules, for
example. These vibrations alter the
T-beam as it bounces off the target so it
becomes possible to detect the presence
of Semtex, or cocaine, from the T-ray
reflections.
Scientists are designing devices that can
exploit the power of T-ray detection. One
project aims to build T-ray portals at
airports. Passengers would be flooded
with terahertz radiation and, from the
reflections, it could be determined whether
they are carrying explosives or drugs.
In hospitals, T-ray devices could spot
chemical differences in the organs of
individuals with a particular cancer.
'There has been a sudden rush of interest
in this field, with major companies such
as Toshiba investing heavily,' said
Chamberlain. 'British industry is also
beginning to show interest - though not in
a big way yet. Hopefully they will soon
see the vast potential of terahertz
technology.'
------------------
~techno bollox my arse~
(sorry about the crap spacing)
T-rays take over from X-rays
the observer: Sunday July 2, 2000
Detectors that can exploit T-rays - electromagnetic pulses generated at a rate of a trillion a second - may soon be used to pinpoint cocaine smugglers and discover tumours in cancer patients.
Physicists from Europe, the US and
Japan reported on terahertz technology
last week - and revealed that detectors
based on it could be installed in airports and hospitals within three years.
At a meeting in Toulouse organised by
Nato, delegates said they had already
used terahertz, or T-rays, to spot breast
cancer cells and to pinpoint illegal drugs.
'Terahertz radiation is safe, so we should
be able to use it in a wide variety of
settings,' said Professor Martyn
Chamberlain, of Leeds University's
Institute of Microwaves and Photonics. 'In addition, T-rays not only give you an idea of the shape of a hidden object, they also let you know what it is made of - and that is extremely important.'
Military officials believe T-rays could
pinpoint the chemical constituents of
anti-personnel mines, and spot terrorists carrying explosives into airports. Doctors are interested in T-rays because they are less damaging to living tissue than X-rays.
Terahertz radiation is slightly more
energetic than that of microwave ovens, and slightly less energetic than the infra-red light emitted by TV remote controls.
Generating pulses in this region of the
electromagnetic spectrum is hard and has
only recently been achieved with newly
developed infra-red lasers. When these
are directed on to special sheets of
semi-conductor material, they emit
terahertz pulses.
'Creating T-rays is still a relatively crude
business but we are now making good
progress,' said Chamberlain.
When terahertz radiation strikes a target,
it sets its constituent molecules vibrating and rotating in ways that define the
substance. Semtex molecules vibrate
differently from cocaine molecules, for
example. These vibrations alter the
T-beam as it bounces off the target so it
becomes possible to detect the presence
of Semtex, or cocaine, from the T-ray
reflections.
Scientists are designing devices that can
exploit the power of T-ray detection. One
project aims to build T-ray portals at
airports. Passengers would be flooded
with terahertz radiation and, from the
reflections, it could be determined whether
they are carrying explosives or drugs.
In hospitals, T-ray devices could spot
chemical differences in the organs of
individuals with a particular cancer.
'There has been a sudden rush of interest
in this field, with major companies such
as Toshiba investing heavily,' said
Chamberlain. 'British industry is also
beginning to show interest - though not in
a big way yet. Hopefully they will soon
see the vast potential of terahertz
technology.'
------------------
~techno bollox my arse~
