Achievement

IGERT trainee David Brigada from Electrical Engineering Department defended his PhD in terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. In order to use THz spectroscopy to identify substances, a spectrum measured from an unknown sample must be compared to the spectra of various known standard samples. David examined various methods that can be employed throughout the entire process of acquiring and transforming THz waveforms to improve the accuracy of these comparisons. The concepts developed by him directly apply to THz, but also carry implications for other spectroscopy methods, from Raman to mass spectrometry. These techniques could help to lower the rate of false positives at airport security checkpoints. David also examined the implementation of several of these methods as a way to realize a fully self-contained, handheld, battery-operated THz spectrometer. This device also employs techniques to allow minimally-trained operators who use THz to detect different substances of interest.