Ozhegov, R. V., Gorshkov, K. N., Vachtomin, Y. B., Smirnov, K. V., Finkel, M. I., Goltsman, G. N., et al. (2014). Terahertz imaging system based on superconducting heterodyne integrated receiver. In C. Corsi, & F. Sizov (Eds.), Proc. THz and Security Applications (pp. 113–125). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
Abstract: The development of terahertz imaging instruments for security systems is on the cutting edge of terahertz technology. We are developing a THz imaging system based on a superconducting integrated receiver (SIR). An SIR is a new type of heterodyne receiver based on an SIS mixer integrated with a flux-flow oscillator (FFO) and a harmonic mixer which is used for phase-locking the FFO. Employing an SIR in an imaging system means building an entirely new instrument with many advantages compared to traditional systems.
In this project we propose a prototype THz imaging system using an 1 pixel SIR and 2D scanner. At a local oscillator frequency of 500 GHz the best noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of the SIR is 10 mK at an integration time of 1 s and a detection bandwidth of 4 GHz. The scanner consists of two rotating flat mirrors placed in front of the antenna consisting of a spherical primary reflector and an aspherical secondary reflector. The diameter of the primary reflector is 0.3 m. The operating frequency of the imaging system is 600 GHz, the frame rate is 0.1 FPS, the scanning area is 0.5 × 0.5 m2, the image resolution is 50 × 50 pixels, the distance from an object to the scanner was 3 m. We have obtained THz images with a spatial resolution of 8 mm and a NETD of less than 2 K.
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Iomdina, E. N., Seliverstov, S. V., Sianosyan, A. A., Teplyakova, K. O., Rusova, A. A., & Goltsman, G. N. (2018). Terahertz scanning for evaluation of corneal and scleral hydration. STM, 10(4), 143–149.
Abstract: The aim of the investigation was to study the prospects of using continuous THz scanning of the cornea and the sclera to determine water concentration in these tissues and on the basis of the obtained data to develop the experimental installation for monitoring corneal and scleral hydration degree.Materials and Methods. To evaluate corneal and scleral transmittance and reflectance spectra in the THz range, the developed experimental installations were used to study 3 rabbit corneas and 3 scleras, 2 whole rabbit eyes, and 3 human scleras. Besides, two rabbit eyes were studied in vivo prior to keratorefractive surgery as well as 10 and 21 days following the surgery (LASIK).Results. There have been created novel experimental installations enabling in vitro evaluation of frequency dependence of corneal and scleral transmittance coefficients and reflectance coefficients on water percentage in the THz range. Decrease in corneal water content by 1% was found to lead to reliably established decrease in the reflected signal by 13%. The reflectance spectrum of the whole rabbit eye was measured in the range of 0.13–0.32 THz. The study revealed the differences between the indices of rabbit cornea and sclera, as well as rabbit and human sclera. There was developed a laboratory model of the installation for in vivo evaluation of corneal and scleral hydration using THz radiation.Conclusion. The preliminary findings show that the proposed technique based on the use of continuous THz radiation can be employed to create a device for noninvasive control of corneal and scleral hydration.
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Iomdina, E. N., Seliverstov, S. V., Teplyakova, K. O., Jani, E. V., Pozdniakova, V. V., Polyakova, O. N., et al. (2021). Terahertz scanning of the rabbit cornea with experimental UVB-induced damage: in vivo assessment of hydration and its verification. J. Biomed. Opt., 26(4).
Abstract: SIGNIFICANCE: Water content plays a vital role in the normally functioning visual system; even a minor disruption in the water balance may be harmful. Today, no direct method exists for corneal hydration assessment, while it could be instrumental in early diagnosis and control of a variety of eye diseases. The use of terahertz (THz) radiation, which is highly sensitive to water content, appears to be very promising. AIM: To find out how THz scanning parameters of corneal tissue measured by an experimental setup, specially developed for in vivo contactless estimations of corneal reflectivity coefficient (RC), are related to pathological changes in the cornea caused by B-band ultraviolet (UVB) exposure. APPROACH: The setup was tested on rabbit eyes in vivo. Prior to the course of UVB irradiation and 1, 5, and 30 days after it, a series of examinations of the corneal state was made. At the same time points, corneal hydration was assessed by measuring RC. RESULTS: The obtained data confirmed the negative impact of UVB irradiation course on the intensity of tear production and on the corneal thickness and optical parameters. A significant (1.8 times) increase in RC on the 5th day after the irradiation course, followed by a slight decrease on the 30th day after it was revealed. The RC increase measured 5 days after the UVB irradiation course generally corresponded to the increase (by a factor of 1.3) of tear production. RC increase occurred with the corneal edema, which was manifested by corneal thickening (by 18.2% in the middle area and 17.6% in corneal periphery) and an increased volume of corneal tissue (by 17.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the proposed approach can be used for in vivo contactless estimation of the reflectivity of rabbit cornea in the THz range and, thereby, of cornea hydration.
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Gayduchenko, I. A., Moskotin, M. V., Matyushkin, Y. E., Rybin, M. G., Obraztsova, E. D., Ryzhii, V. I., et al. (2018). The detection of sub-terahertz radiation using graphene-layer and graphene-nanoribbon FETs with asymmetric contacts. In Materials Today: Proc. (Vol. 5, pp. 27301–27306).
Abstract: We report on the detection of sub-terahertz radiation using single layer graphene and graphene-nanoribbon FETs with asymmetric contacts (one is the Schottky contact and one – the Ohmic contact). We found that cutting graphene into ribbons a hundred nanometers wide leads to a decrease of the response to sub-THz radiation. We show that suppression of the response in the graphene nanoribbons devices can be explained by unusual properties of the Schottky barrier on graphene-vanadium interface.
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Baeva, E. M., Sidorova, M. V., Korneev, A. A., Smirnov, K. V., Divochy, A. V., Morozov, P. V., et al. (2018). Thermal properties of NbN single-photon detectors. Phys. Rev. Applied, 10(6), 064063 (1 to 8).
Abstract: We investigate thermal properties of a NbN single-photon detector capable of unit internal detection efficiency. Using an independent calibration of the coupling losses, we determine the absolute optical power absorbed by the NbN film and, via resistive superconductor thermometry, the temperature dependence of the thermal resistance Z(T) of the NbN film. In principle, this approach permits simultaneous measurement of the electron-phonon and phonon-escape contributions to the energy relaxation, which in our case is ambiguous because of the similar temperature dependencies. We analyze Z(T) with a two-temperature model and impose an upper bound on the ratio of electron and phonon heat capacities in NbN, which is surprisingly close to a recent theoretical lower bound for the same quantity in similar devices.
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