Terahertz Frequency Metrology for Spectroscopic Applications: a Review

Abstract

We provide an overview on terahertz (THz) frequency metrology, starting from the nowadays available continuous wave THz sources, discussing their main features such as tunability, spectral purity, and frequency referencing to the primary frequency standards. A comparison on the achieved results in high-precision molecular spectroscopy is given and discussed, and finally, a special emphasis poses on the future developments of this upcoming field.