High effective time-dependent THz spectroscopy method for the detection and identification of substances with inhomogeneous surface

Substance Detection and Identification Using Frequency Doubling of the THz Broadband Pulse

We propose and discuss an effective tool for substance detection and identification using a broadband THz pulse that is based on frequency conversion near the substance absorption frequencies. With this aim, we analyze the evolution of spectral intensities at the doubled absorption frequencies in order to prove their similarity to those at which the absorption of THz pulse energy occurs. This analysis is provided for both artificial THz signals and the real signals reflected from the substances under consideration. We demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach in the detection and identification of substances with an inhomogeneous surface, which is the most difficult case for practice, by using the method of spectral dynamic analysis and integral correlation criteria.

Label-free detection of living cervical cells based on microfluidic device with terahertz spectroscopy

Early diagnosis of cervical cancer is essential for a good prognosis. Terahertz wave detection technology is a nondestructive and label-free physical detection technology, which can detect and monitor the cancer cells in real time, especially for patients with deep or inaccessible tumors. In this study, a single-cell-layer microfluidic device was developed. After replacing the optical clearing agent, the characteristics of H8, HeLa and SiHa cell lines in adherent and suspended states were detected. Additionally, the absorption increased with increasing cell density. For the mixed suspension cell samples, principal component analysis-support vector machine method was used to identify benign and malignant cell component. After living cells formaldehyde, changes in cell membrane permeability were evaluated to identify the cell survival status (i.e., dead or living) based on terahertz spectroscopy amplitude differences. Therefore, extending the terahertz spectrum detection to the molecular level can characterize the life essence of cells and tissues.

Chemical Identification in the Specular and Off-Specular Rough-Surface Scattered Terahertz Spectra Using Wavelet Shrinkage

We present the development and implementation of a novel wavelet shrinkage technique for the retrieval of obscured characteristic resonant signatures in the scattered terahertz (THz) reflectivity of molecular crystals. In this implementation, the wavelet basis functions associated with the absorption features were identified using the second-order total variation of the wavelet coefficients. Additionally, wavelet coefficients at certain scales were modified using the phase function corrections and wavelet hard thresholding. Reconstruction of the original spectra using these modified wavelet coefficients yielded the exact resonant frequencies of the chemicals, which were otherwise unrecognizable in the spectral artifacts of the rough surface scattering. We examined the robustness of this method over controlled levels of rough surface scattering, validated using the Kirchhoff approximation, in spectroscopic targets made from α-lactose monohydrate and 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which have close spectral lines. We successfully retrieved the spectral absorption fingerprints in both specular and off-specular reflection geometries. This technique can be utilized for stand-off material characterization using the THz reflection spectroscopy in uncontrolled environments and potentially can be adopted for other broadband spectroscopic modalities.

Interpol review of detection and characterization of explosives and explosives residues 2016-2019

This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature for the analysis and detection of explosives and explosives residues from 2016-2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/Resources/Documents#Publications.

Spurious Absorption Frequency Appearance Due to Frequency Conversion Processes in Pulsed THz TDS Problems

The appearance of the spurious absorption frequencies caused by the frequency conversion process at the broadband THz pulse propagation in a medium is theoretically and experimentally discussed. The spurious absorption frequencies appear due to both the frequency doubling and generation of waves with sum or difference frequency. Such generation might occur because of the nonlinear response of a medium or its non-instantaneous response. This phenomenon is confirmed by the results of a few physical experiments provided with the THz CW signals and broadband THz pulses that are transmitted through the ordinary or dangerous substances. A high correlation between the time-dependent spectral intensities for the basic frequency and generated frequencies is demonstrated while using the computer simulation results. This feature of the frequency conversion might be used for the detection and identification of a substance.

A Possible Way for the Detection and Identification of Dangerous Substances in Ternary Mixtures Using THz Pulsed Spectroscopy

We discuss an effective tool for the detection and identification of substances in ternary mixtures with similar spectral properties using a broadband reflected THz signal. Nowadays, this is an urgent problem; its effective solution is still far off. Two ternary mixtures of the explosives (RDX+TNT+HMX and RDX+TNT+PETN) were used as the examples for demonstration of the efficiency of the method proposed. The identification is based on the pulsed THz spectroscopy. We follow the spectral intensities together with the use of integral correlation criteria. They use the spectral line dynamics of the THz pulse reflected from the substance under investigation and that of the standard THz signal from database. In order to increase the accuracy and reliability of the identification, we analyze the partial non-overlapping time intervals, containing the main pulse of the reflected THz signal and the sequential sub-pulses. The main pulse is shown to contain information about high absorption frequencies (ν > 2.6 THz) of the mixture components. In the sub-pulses, the absorption frequencies of the components are detected in the range of low (ν < 2.6 THz) and high (ν > 2.6 THz) frequencies. The opportunity of distinguishing the mixtures with similar spectral properties is also shown.

Mitigating the effects of granular scattering using cepstrum analysis in terahertz time-domain spectral imaging

Terahertz (THz) imaging is a widely used technique in the study and detection of many chemicals and biomolecules in polycrystalline form because the spectral absorption signatures of these target materials often lie in the THz frequencies. When the size of dielectric grain boundaries are comparable to the THz wavelengths, spectral features can be obscured due to electromagnetic scattering. In this study, we first investigate this granular scattering effect in identification of chemicals with THz spectral absorption features. We then will propose a signal processing technique in the so-called "quefrency" domain to improve the ability to resolve these spectral features in the diffuse scattered THz images. We created a pellet with α-lactose monohydrate and riboflavin, two biologically significant materials with well-known vibrational spectral resonances, and buried the pellet in a highly scattering medium. THz transmission measurements were taken at all angles covering the half focal plane. We show that, while spectral features of lactose and riboflavin cannot be distinguished in the scattered image, application of cepstrum filtering can mitigate these scattering effects. By employing our quefrency-domain signal processing technique, we were able to unambiguously detect the dielectric resonance of lactose in the diffused scattering geometries. Finally we will discuss the limitation of the new proposed technique in spectral identification of chemicals.