• Y.U. Jeong, H.J. Cha, B.C. Lee, S.-H. Park
  KAERI, Daejon
• G.M. Kazakevich
  Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois

We have developed a laboratory-scale users facility with a compact terahertz (THz) free electron laser (FEL). The FEL operates in the wavelength range of 100-1200 μm, which corresponds to 0.3-3 THz. The peak power of the FEL micropulse having 30 ps pulse duration is 1 kW and the pulse energy of the 3-μs-FEL-macropulse is approximately 0.3 mJ. The main application of the FEL is THz imaging for bio-medical researches. Transmitted THz imaging of various samples including bugs have been measured. The samples were scanned by a 2-dimensional stage at the focal point of the THz beam. The bugs were not dry because they were killed just before experiments. We could get the transmitted THz imaging of the bugs at 3 THz with the high power THz FEL. THz spectral characteristics of several materials have been studied by the FEL and a THz FTIR spectrometer. We will introduce recent results on the imaging and spectroscopy by the THz FEL.

• H.J. Cha, Y.U. Jeong, B.C. Lee, S.-H. Park
  KAERI, Daejon
• S.-H. Park
  Yonsei University, Seoul

Funding: This work was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant (KRF-2004-042-C00053).

We are making experiments on THz(terahertz) imaging using a compact high power FEL (free-electron laser) which is operating as a users facility at KAERI. The wavelength range of output pulses is 100~1200 μm, which corresponds to 0.3~3 THz in the frequency region. We should select the optimum wavelength for the constituents of specimens to realize the imaging based on the THz FEL. A FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectrometer was modified to measure the optical constants of the specimens in THz region. A polyester film of which thickness is 3.7 μm was used as a beam splitter of the spectrometer. In the case of normal incidence, the transmittance of the film was measured to be more than 90%, and the estimated loss by absorption was approximately 2% at the FEL frequency of 3 THz. Several tens of nanometer-thick-silver was coated on the polyester film to balance both transmission and reflection of THz waves in the beam splitter. We investigated FTIR spectroscopy on air, vapor and liquid water as test samples. As a preliminary step for the compact FEL-based biomedical imaging, FTIR spectroscopic experiments on the fundamental ingredients such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in THz region are also planned.