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The Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Research Group has achieved a world‑record milestone in terahertz laser technology, demonstrating a compact and portable terahertz quantum cascade laser (THz QCL) capable of operating at unprecedented high temperatures — a development that could transform how terahertz radiation is used outside the lab.
The breakthrough was accomplished in collaboration with Professor Qing Hu’s research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
"Many authorities in the field didn't believe these devices could work outside a laboratory environment or anywhere close to room temperature,” said Zbig Wasilewski, a physicist and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Waterloo and a principal investigator at Transformative Quantum Technologies. “Our combined expertise just changed this paradigm."
Portability paves the way for the device to have an impact via terahertz imaging and spectroscopic systems in areas including medicine, communications, quality control, security and biochemistry. Until now, the generation of terahertz radiation powerful enough to perform real-time imaging and fast spectral measurements required temperatures of less than -100 degrees Celsius. The new terahertz quantum cascade laser, detailed in a paper published today in the journal Nature Photonics, can function at temperatures of up to -23 degrees Celsius.
Read more by going to the original article published on Waterloo News: Breakthrough frees tiny, powerful laser device from the lab.