Researchers at MIT, the University of Minnesota, and Samsung have developed a camera that uses quantum dots that emit visible light when stimulated by terahertz waves. The visible light can then be recorded by a device that is similar to a standard electronic camera’s detector.
The device, which functions at room temperature and pressure, can simultaneously capture information about the orientation, or “polarization,” of the waves in real-time. The data could be used to characterize materials that have asymmetrical molecules, or to determine the surface topography of materials.
The device is described in a paper published today in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, by MIT doctoral student Jiaojian Shi, professor of chemistry Keith Nelson, and 12 others.
