Kirigami can spin terahertz rays in real time to peer into biological tissueWith a light-spinning de
Kirigami can spin terahertz rays in real time to peer into biological tissueWith a light-spinning device inspired by the Japanese art of paper cutting, University of Michigan researchers have detected microscopic twists in the internal structure of plant and animal tissue without harmful X-rays.The approach is the first that can fully rotate terahertz radiation in real time, and it could open new dimensions in medical imaging, encrypted communications and cosmology. The researchers are most interested in using terahertz rays to identify biological tissues through the twists in their structures—their “chirality.” A tissue’s chirality affects how much it absorbs twisted radiation.Terahertz radiation is the band of electromagnetic waves that runs from infrared radiation down to the range of the “millimeter scanners” that peer through your clothing at airports. It can travel about a quarter of an inch into the body, but unlike X-rays, it’s non-ionizing—meaning it doesn’t free up potentially damaging electrical charges in the body.Read more. -- source link
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