Advances in Terahertz Solid-State Physics and Devices

Terahertz science has attracted tremendous attention owing to its potential applications in areas including high-speed communications, nondestructive evaluation, biological and medical sensing, and national security. Terahertz waves bridge electronics and photonics as well as classical and quantum physics, making them equally attractive for fundamental studies of novel physical phenomena. To realize a broad range of real terahertz applications, it is essential to develop compact solid state devices for terahertz sources, detectors, modulators, and compact systems. These devices often employ quantum materials and heterostructures, and can incorporate other features including carrier transfer using atomic layer epitaxy, micro/electromechanical systems, plasmonic resonators, and metamaterials. To optimize these devices we have to understand and control ultrafast carrier dynamics in these advanced materials. This special issue aims to highlight the state-of-the-art in terahertz solid-state devices while also unveiling the properties of these materials on an ultrafast timescale.

Guest Editors: Jeffrey Hesler, Rohit Prasankumar and Jerome Tignon