Loading…

Electrical Versus Optical: Comparing Methods for Detecting Terahertz Radiation Using Neon Lamps

Terahertz radiation impinging on a lit neon tube causes additional ionization of the encapsulated gas. As a result, the electrical current flowing between the electrodes increases and the glow discharge in the tube brightens. These dual phenomena suggest two distinct modes of terahertz sensing. The...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of infrared, millimeter and terahertz waves millimeter and terahertz waves, 2018-08, Vol.39 (8), p.701-713
Main Authors: Slocombe, L. L., Lewis, R. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Terahertz radiation impinging on a lit neon tube causes additional ionization of the encapsulated gas. As a result, the electrical current flowing between the electrodes increases and the glow discharge in the tube brightens. These dual phenomena suggest two distinct modes of terahertz sensing. The electrical mode simply involves measuring the electrical current. The optical mode involves monitoring the brightness of the weakly ionized plasma glow discharge. Here, we directly compare the two detection modes under identical experimental conditions. We measure 0.1-THz radiation modulated at frequencies in the range 0.1–10 kHz, for lamp currents in the range 1–10 mA. We find that electrical detection provides a superior signal-to-noise ratio while optical detection has a faster response. Either method serves as the basis of a compact, robust, and inexpensive room-temperature detector of terahertz radiation.
ISSN:1866-6892
1866-6906
DOI:10.1007/s10762-018-0495-1