Terahertz radiation
the 300–3000 GHz range of the electromagnetic spectrum
Terahertz radiation – also known as terahertz waves, tremendously high frequency (THF), T-rays, T-waves, T-light, or T-lux– consists of electromagnetic waves within the frequency band from 0.1 to 10 terahertz (symbol THz), as designated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
One terahertz is 1012 Hz or 1,000 GHz.
Wavelengths of terahertz radiation range from 3 millimeters and 30 micrometers (3 mm = 3000 μm to 30 μm), sometimes known as the submillimeter band, and its radiation as submillimeter waves, especially in astronomy. This band of electromagnetic radiation lies within the transition region between microwave and far infrared and can be regarded as either.
Compared to lower radio frequencies, terahertz radiation is strongly absorbed by the gases of the atmosphere, and in air, most of the energy is attenuated within a few meters, so it is not practical for long distance terrestrial radio communication. It can penetrate thin layers of materials but is blocked by thicker objects. THz beams transmitted through materials can be used for material characterization, layer inspection, relief measurement, and as a lower-energy alternative to X-rays for producing high resolution images of the interior of solid objects.
Terahertz radiation occupies a middle ground where the ranges of microwaves and infrared light waves overlap, known as the "terahertz gap"; it is called a "gap" because the technology for its generation and manipulation is still in its infancy. The generation and modulation of electromagnetic waves in this frequency range ceases to be possible by the conventional electronic devices used to generate radio waves and microwaves, requiring the development of new devices and techniques.
Description
Terahertz radiation falls in between infrared radiation and microwave radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum, and it shares some properties with each of these.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q647887. The Library of Congress control number is sh85129520. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1012.
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This entry incorporates text from “Terahertz radiation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.