New life for old electrons in biological imaging, sensing technologies

URL

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=23334.php

Description

(Nanowerk News) Using leftover high-speed electrons from SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source, researchers have successfully generated intense pulses of light in a largely untapped part of the electromagnetic spectrum – the so-called terahertz gap. Terahertz pulses – T-rays, for short – get their name from their frequency, which is 1 to 10 trillion cycles per second. Falling between visible frequencies and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz waves are being used in new sensing technologies and biological imaging techniques that cause minimal radiation damage to samples.