Terahertz system characterization and performance modeling

Terahertz (THz) imaging systems use active sources, specialized optics, and detectors in order to penetrate through certain materials. Each of these components have design and manufacturing characteristics (e.g. coherence for sources, aberrations for optics, and dynamic range and noise in detectors) that can lead to a nonideal performance for the overall imaging system. Thus, system designers are frequently challenged to designs systems that approach theoretical performance, making quantitative measurement of imaging performance a key feedback element of system design. Quantitative evaluation of actual THz system performance will be performed using many of the same figures of merit that have been developed for imaging at other wavelengths (e.g. infrared imaging systems nominally operating in the shorter 3-12 μm wavelength range). The suitability and limitations of these evaluation criteria will be analyzed as part of the process for improving the modeling and design of high performance THz imaging systems.