Quantum Sensing In The Terahertz Frequency Range

Although terahertz radiation has moved into the focus of technical applications, e.g. layer-thickness measurement, the generation and detection of radiation in this spectral range remains challenging as detectors are either cooled or expensive due to the laser systems they are based on. Thus, the generation and detection of terahertz radiation continues to be of great scientific interest. A novel quantum-optical concept offers the possibility to detect only visible light containing the measurement information gained in a different wavelength range [1]. This represents an extremely attractive alternative for the terahertz frequency range, since generation can be done with visible continuous-wave lasers while detection can be achieved with sophisticated and low-cost silicon-based detectors. We report on first demonstrations of this measurement technique in the terahertz frequency range.