The 2023 terahertz science and technology roadmap
Journal of Physics D Applied Physics, vol. 56, pp. 223001
Abstract
Abstract Terahertz (THz) radiation encompasses a wide spectral range within the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from microwaves to the far infrared (100 GHz–∼30 THz). Within its frequency boundaries exist a broad variety of scientific disciplines that have presented, and continue to present, technical challenges to researchers. During the past 50 years, for instance, the demands of the scientific community have substantially evolved and with a need for advanced instrumentation to support radio astronomy, Earth observation, weather forecasting, security imaging, telecommunications, non-destructive device testing and much more. Furthermore, applications have required an emergence of technology from the laboratory environment to production-scale supply and in-the-field deployments ranging from harsh ground-based locations to deep space. In addressing these requirements, the research and development community has advanced related technology and bridged the transition between electronics and photonics that high frequency operation demands. The multidisciplinary nature of THz work was our stimulus for creating the 2017 THz Science and Technology Roadmap (Dhillon et al 2017 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 043001). As one might envisage, though, there remains much to explore both scientifically and technically and the field has continued to develop and expand rapidly. It is timely, therefore, to revise our previous roadmap and in this 2023 version we both provide an update on key developments in established technical areas that have important scientific and public benefit, and highlight new and emerging areas that show particular promise. The developments that we describe thus span from fundamental scientific research, such as THz astronomy and the emergent area of THz quantum optics, to highly applied and commercially and societally impactful subjects that include 6G THz communications, medical imaging, and climate monitoring and prediction. Our Roadmap vision draws upon the expertise and perspective of multiple international specialists that together provide an overview of past developments and the likely challenges facing the field of THz science and technology in future decades. The document is written in a form that is accessible to policy makers who wish to gain an overview of the current state of the THz art, and for the non-specialist and curious who wish to understand available technology and challenges. A such, our experts deliver a ‘snapshot’ introduction to the current status of the field and provide suggestions for exciting future technical development directions. Ultimately, we intend the Roadmap to portray the advantages and benefits of the THz domain and to stimulate further exploration of the field in support of scientific research and commercial realisation.
Authors 53
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Department of Physics and Center for Applied Photonics, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
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Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
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Department of Physics, KAIST, 34141 Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society · Freie Universität Berlin
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Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States of America
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Philipps University of Marburg
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Department of Physics and Material Sciences Center, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Renthof 5, Marburg, 35032, Germany
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Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
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Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CU, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
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Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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University at Buffalo, State University of New York
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Physics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States of America
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Chair of Physical Chemistry II, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum 44801, Germany
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Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G-2E1, Canada
Medical Physics, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G-1Z2 AB, Canada
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Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Box 90291, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
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Technical University of Denmark
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Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
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University of Maryland, College Park
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Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States of America
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The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, United States of America
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Technical University of Denmark
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Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Paris Cité · Université Paris Sciences et Lettres · École Normale Supérieure - PSL · Sorbonne Université · Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure
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Laboratoire de Physique de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
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Scuola Normale Superiore · Istituto Nanoscienze · National Enterprise for NanoScience and NanoTechnology
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NEST, CNR—Istituto Nanoscienze and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
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School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory · Linac Coherent Light Source
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Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States of America
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School of Physics and Institute of Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, 2-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University, Finlandsgade 22, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
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Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Department of Physics and Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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Jožef Stefan Institute · Nanocenter
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Centre of Excellence in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology—Nanocenter, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department of Complex Matter, Jozef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Department of Physics and Regensburg Center for Ultrafast Nanoscopy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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Photon Science Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, Alan Turing Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
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School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
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Millimetre Wave Technology Group, STFC, RAL Space, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
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Millimetre Wave Technology Group, STFC, RAL Space, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
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Millimetre Wave Technology Group, STFC, RAL Space, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States of America
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States of America
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Space Research Organisation Netherlands · Delft University of Technology
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SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niels Bohrweg 4, 2333 CA Leiden; Optics Research Group, Department of Imaging Physics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ, Delft, The Netherlands
Optics Research Group, Department of Imaging Physics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ, Delft, The Netherlands
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niels Bohrweg 4, 2333 CA Leiden
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James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
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Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, People’s Republic of China
Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, People's Republic of China
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Center for Physical Sciences and Technology
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Department of Optoelectronics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Sauletekio av. 3, Vilnius 10257, Lithuania
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The University of Western Australia
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Department of Physics, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
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Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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Department of Electromagnetic and Electrochemical Technologies, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
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Virginia Diodes (United States)
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Virginia Diodes, Inc., Charlottesville, VA 22902-6172, United States of America
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Department of Electromagnetic and Electrochemical Technologies, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
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Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
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Institute of Robust Power Semiconductor Systems, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan
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Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0AS, United Kingdom
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Teraview, 1, Enterprise, Cambridge Research Park, Cambridge CB25 9PD, United Kingdom
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Michael B. Johnston corresponding
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Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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J. E. Cunningham corresponding
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School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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