T Rays vs. terrorists: Widening the security spectrum

Abstract

Scientists are racing to find new technologies to detect terrorist weaponry. Ideally, these high-tech tools would be fast, accurate, cheap, easy to use, and portable and/or remote. Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory are getting promising results from experiments using "T rays," the terahertz part of the electromagnetic spectrum. These rays have been successfully used to identify explosives and poison gas precursors. Argonne scientists and their partners have also used millimeter-wave radar to detect airborne chemicals and radiation. In addition to their potential in matters relating to security, these methods could also be useful in environmental health applications.