Imperial College Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering- Strategic Associations

Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering

Strategic Associations

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/terahertz/strategic-associations/

Verisante Technology, Inc. Announces Brain Tumour Study in the UK

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verisante-technology-inc-announces-brain-143000588.html
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 13, 2015) - Verisante Technology, Inc. (TSX VENTURE:VRS)(VRSEF) (the "Company" or "Verisante"), a leader in cancer detection technology, announced today it has entered into a collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to develop a new application for the Company's exclusively licensed platform technology. 

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will be using Verisante's laser Raman system in a study to determine if the system is able to assist in ascertaining the margins between tumour and normal brain tissue. Verisante is providing Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with a Raman system. Dr. Haishan Zeng, a distinguished scientist in the Integrative Oncology Department at BC Cancer Agency is leading the development of the endoscopic Raman probe that will be used in the study. 

"Using Verisante Core™ for delineation of brain tumour margins could be a significant new use for the device," said Dr. Zeng, who is also a professor of dermatology and skin science at the University of British Columbia in addition to his work at the BC Cancer Agency. "Our collaboration with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust enables us to keep testing the technology on real patients in a clinical setting using new applications."

Brain tumours are rare but have a disproportionate effect on society as they often strike the young. For this reason brain tumours result in more years of life lost than any other tumour. The first step in the patient pathway is often brain surgery which is understandably delicate and highly precise. One of the major obstacles to removing brain tumours is the fact that the boundary between the tumour and normal brain is very hard to see using the naked eye, even with an operating microscope. The group will focus on collecting data during brain tumour surgery done at Charing Cross Hospital in London, England. 

"With this new international partnership between Verisante and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, we are hopeful we will be able see beyond the naked eye to diagnose and map brain tumours during surgery using Verisant's Raman laser spectroscopy system," said Mr. Babar Vaqas, a Neurosurgeon and Principle Investigator of the study at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. "This study will be unique in that it will be the first ever application of Raman spectroscopy during human brain surgery."

About the BC Cancer Agency

The BC Cancer Agency is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), providing province-wide specialty healthcare in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The BC Cancer Agency provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of BC by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care. For more information, visit www.bccancer.bc.ca.

About Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea, St Mary's and Western Eye hospitals. With more than one million patient contacts each year, it is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country and, in partnership with Imperial College London, is the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC). It has an annual turnover of around £970 million. The Trust was created on 1 October 2007, by merging Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust and St Mary's NHS Trust.

Imperial College Healthcare is one of eleven NIHR Biomedical Research Centres. This designation is given to the most outstanding NHS and university research partnerships in the country; leaders in scientific translation and early adopters of new insights in technologies, techniques and treatments for improving health. Imperial College Healthcare has some of the lowest mortality rates in the country according to the Dr. Foster Guide - an annual, independent report published 2012.

For more information about the Trust visit http://www.imperial.nhs.uk

About Verisante Technology, Inc.

Verisante is a medical device company committed to commercializing innovative systems for the early detection of cancer. The Verisante Aura™ for skin cancer detection and the Verisante Core™ series for lung, colon and cervical cancer detection utilize a proprietary cancer detection platform while the operating software and probe technology are unique to each device. The cancer detection platform was developed by the BC Cancer Agency and tested and refined at the Skin Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital. This exclusive platform technology allows Verisante to develop and offer a range of compact, non-invasive cancer detection devices that offer physicians immediate results for many of the most common cancers. Aura™ has been approved for sale in Canada, Europe and Australia. The Core™ has not yet been approved for sale. 

Verisante Aura™ was awarded the 2014 North American Technology Innovation of the Year Award for In Vivo Cancer Detection by Frost & Sullivan, Popular Science Magazine's "Best of What's New Award" for 2011, awarded a 2013 Prism Award for Innovation in Photonics and an Edison Award for Excellence in Innovation in 2013. Verisante Core™ was named one of the top 10 cancer breakthroughs of 2011 by the Canadian Cancer Society. 

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. 

Forward-Looking Statements 

This release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the future commercialization of medical devices, the market demand for these products and the proprietary protections the Company will obtain with regard to the technology, all of which statements are subject to market risks, and the possibility that the Company will not be able to obtain patent protection or obtain sufficient customer demand. These statements are made based upon current expectations and actual results may differ from those projected due to a number of risks and uncertainties.

Contact:

Verisante Technology, Inc.
Thomas Braun
President & CEO
(604) 605-0507
info@verisante.com

NRL Scientists Discover Novel Metamaterial Properties Within Hexagonal Boron Nitride

http://www.photonicsonline.com/doc/nrl-scientists-discover-novel-properties-hexagonal-boron-nitride-0001

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Manchester, U.K.; Imperial College, London; University of California San Diego; and the National Institute of Material Science (NIMS), Japan, have demonstrated that confined surface phonon polaritons within hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibit unique metamaterial properties that enable novel nanoscale optical devices for use in optical communications, super-resolution imaging, and improved infrared cameras and detectors.

Metamaterials are artificial composites of various materials designed to exhibit optical properties not anticipated in nature. One such property is hyperbolicity, whereby a material exhibits both metallic- and dielectric-like optical responses simultaneously along different crystal axes. These hyperbolic metamaterials are the basis for many potential applications such as 'hyperlenses,' used for imaging of nanoscale objects not observable using conventional optics.

"Our examination into the characteristics of hBN reveal the first experimental observation of sub-diffractional guided waves confined in all three dimensions, using a natural hyperbolic material," said Joshua Caldwell, Ph.D., Electronics Science and Technology Division, Power Electronics Branch. "This may, in turn, lead to the development of disruptive technologies such as the nanoscale equivalent of an optical fiber due to the volume-bound confinement of sub-diffractional modes within hBN."

Optic phonons, or crystal vibrations that can be excited with infrared light, can also be used to confine light to dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of light, while maintaining record-high efficiencies. These surface phonon polaritons are analogous to electron oscillations in metals or doped-semiconductors, called plasmons, but offer the benefit of low losses and operation in the infrared to terahertz spectral regions.

As a van der Waels crystal—a layered crystal structure similar to graphene or graphite—hBN was demonstrated to be two orders of magnitude more efficient than hyperbolic metamaterials shown to date, says Caldwell. Unlike metallic/dielectric hyperbolic metamaterials, hBN also provides the additional functionality of both types of hyperbolicity, allowing both the in-plane and out-of-plane crystal axes to behave metallic- (reflective) or dielectric-like (transparent) simply by changing the wavelength of the exciting light. This mixing of both types of hyperbolic behavior is to this point unique and allowed the fundamental comparison of antennas within these two regimes.

Using the natural hyperbolic behavior of hBN, the researchers were able to demonstrate that light could also be confined within optical antennas—up to 86 times smaller than the wavelength of light, for instance confinement of 6.8 micrometers of light into a 0.08 micrometer tall antenna—while maintaining record-high efficiencies due to the low-loss nature of the dielectric crystal.

The researchers were able to further demonstrate that the resonance wavelength of the hyperbolic polaritons confined within these antennae was dependent only upon the aspect ratio (height/diameter), and was nominally independent upon the actual size and/or shape—demonstrating that antennas could be defined for a given application simply by controlling this ratio, thereby making them compatible to a wide array of device form-factors. This could enable frequency selective operation and nanophotonic circuits, as well as provide an operational material for mid-infrared imaging of nanoscale objects.

The research team also demonstrated that the resonance response exhibited not a single mode, but four separate series, and according to Caldwell, a change in the wavelength and/or the angle of the incoming light with respect to the sample surface could isolate each series, providing the first complete description of these novel, three-dimensionally confined hyperbolic polariton modes.

Further discoveries found these breakthroughs could have an impact in areas such as enhanced infrared or molecular spectroscopy, improved functionality for nanophotonic circuits and devices for use in infrared cameras, detectors and weapons guidance systems, and tailored thermal emission sources.

The NRL Power Electronics Branch serves as the laboratory's principal resource for the science and technology of solid-state high-power electronic devices. The primary mission of the branch is to conduct research and development (R&D) programs in solid state electronics and related technologies that support U.S. Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) interests and capabilities in the full range of new weapons capabilities enabled by high-power solid state electronic devices. Moreover, the branch serves as the focal point of insertion of power electronics technology into Navy engineering development efforts.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of approximately 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 90 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit http://www.nrl.navy.mil/.

SOURCE: The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

New quantum mechanism to trigger the emission of tuneable light at terahertz frequencies

My Note: This is is the same news I just posted but with additional information
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=36102.php

Nanowerk News) Scientists have found that two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures with asymmetric design enable a new quantum mechanism, triggering the emission of tuneable light at terahertz frequencies-with unprecedented efficiency.

The researchers, from the University of Southampton and Imperial College London, found that quantum wells, 2D nanostructures formed of several layers of semi-conductor alloys placed on top of each other like a sandwich, can enhance light emission in a technological challenging spectral range.

It is hoped that the findings will have an impact on photonic and optoelectronic devices across a broad range of applications, including harmless medical imaging and security scanning.

Electrons are trapped in the structure and this confinement can be exploited to enhance their capacity to interact with light at given frequencies much lower than the laser frequency at which they are excited: the system emits light by interacting with "vacuum fluctuations" that permeate space, according to quantum theory.

An optoelectronic device formed of multiple quantum wells, whose design is optimised to maximise the dipole and thus its efficiency, emitting terahertz light.

Nathan Shammah, from the University's Quantum Light and Matter (QLM) group and co-author of the study says: "As the 2D nanostructures can be manufactured with an asymmetric design, this allows light to interact with trapped electrons in a way that is not otherwise allowed. This interaction process, leading to the emission of light at lower frequencies, has not been observed in atoms because those are very symmetrical systems and symmetry rules prevent the transitions that trigger this light emission from happening."

In the paper, which is published in Physical Review B ("Terahertz emission from ac Stark-split asymmetric intersubband transitions"), the researchers predict that by shining light on a 2D asymmetric nanostructure with a laser that is tuned at resonance with the electronic transitions that can occur in the nanostructure, in addition to the scattered laser light, this 2D device would emit light at other frequencies, which can be tuned simply by changing the laser power.

Nathan, who co-authored the paper with Dr Simone De Liberato, from the QLM group, and Professor Chris Phillips from Imperial College London, adds: "Due to the large oscillating dipole and high density of electrons that characterise these 'artificial atoms' formed of asymmetric 2D structures, the control of light-matter coupling can be greatly enhanced, triggering spontaneous light emission, similar to what occurs in LEDs lamps.

"This new mechanism is perfectly suited for the terahertz frequency range, which spans from above the current wi-fi bandwidth to below the visible light spectrum, where the lack of practical light emitters constitutes a serious technological gap."

The high efficiency shown by the simulations suggests that this theoretical result could be exploited in the near future for a broad range of optoelectronic applications-from harmless medical imaging and security scanners, to short-range, ultra-fast wireless communication.

Source: University of Southampton

Read more: New quantum mechanism to trigger the emission of tuneable light at terahertz frequencies http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=36102.php#ixzz3501k4qUG 
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Researchers use asymmetry to generate tunable terahertz light

Graham Pitcher
http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/

University of Southampton researchers have found that two dimensional nanostructures with an asymmetric design can trigger the emission of tunable light at terahertz frequencies and say the system has unprecedented efficiency. 

The team, which also included researchers from Imperial College London, found that quantum wells can enhance light emission in a spectral range that is technically challenging.

Nathan Shammah, from Southampton University's Quantum Light and Matter group, said: "As the 2D nanostructures can be manufactured with an asymmetric design, this allows light to interact with trapped electrons in a way that is not otherwise allowed. This interaction process, leading to the emission of light at lower frequencies, has not been observed in atoms because those are very symmetrical systems and symmetry rules prevent the transitions that trigger this light emission from happening."

In their paper, published in Physical Review B, the researchers predict that, by targeting a 2D asymmetric nanostructure with laser light tuned at resonance with the electronic transitions that can occur in the nanostructure, the 2D device would emit light at frequencies which can be tuned simply by changing the laser power.

Shammah added: "This mechanism is perfectly suited for the terahertz frequency range, which spans from above the current Wi-Fi bandwidth to below the visible light spectrum, where the lack of practical light emitters constitutes a serious technological gap."

It is hoped the findings will have an impact on photonic and optoelectronic devices across a broad range of applications, including medical imaging and security scanning.

THz radiation leads to powerful nanoscale sensors

My Note: More on the recent article relating to the work at A*STAR
http://news.radio-electronics.co/manufacturing/thz-radiation-leads-to-powerful-nanoscale-sensors/
A team of researchers from the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) has observed that microstructures made up by pairs of touching semiconductor disks yield enhanced terahertz radiation in a tiny V-shaped gap, just a fraction of a micrometre wide. According to the scientists, the effects seen in the microfabricated semiconductor structure could be used in applications such as biosensing and airport security scanners.
Hua Teng and his co-workers developed tiny semiconductor structures made of the chemical elements indium and antimony. From this material, they produced disks of 20µm in diameter, which they arranged such that pairs just touched. The gap between contiguous disks was merely tens to hundreds of nanometers wide. When the researchers exposed the structures to THz radiation, they found that the radiation intensity in the gap was enhanced by more than a hundred times.

Source: Wiley-VCH Verlag. Terahertz radiation is greatly enhanced in the tiny V-shaped gap, just a fraction of a micrometer wide, between pairs of touching semiconductor disks.

Confining and enhancing THz radiation is significant for two reasons, according to Teng. First, electromagnetic waves in the THz range can be used in a range of applications, for example, to study the structure of large biomolecules. As this sort of radiation can penetrate textiles but is less energetic than X-rays—or microwaves—it is also well suited for use in body scanners at airports. The second reason as to why the new results are important is more fundamental. "We have produced this particular touching-disc structure to test, in the THz regime, intriguing theoretical predictions made for optical radiation," noted Teng. "Building a device such as ours for visible light is much more challenging, as it would involve even smaller structures."
The now-verified theoretical predictions came from collaborators at Imperial College London in the UK. "For the present work, IMRE is in charge of the materials growth and the structure fabrication, while Imperial College contributes structure design and characterisation," stated Teng. The A*STAR researchers are now focused on practical applications: they will further explore the unique properties of their semiconductor materials and try to develop devices for THz technology. The group has already succeeded in tuning the THz response of their structure, meaning that they can conveniently adjust the frequency response of their device for different applications.

New funding to research 'super material' graphene

http://phys.org/news/2012-12-funding-super-material-graphene.html
Scientists at Imperial College London are set to receive over £4.5 million of public funding to investigate how the 'super material' graphene can drive improvements in high-tech industries, such as aerospace design and medical technologies.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, today announced £21.5 million of capital investment to commercialise graphene, one of the thinnest, lightest, strongest and most conductive materials to have been discovered, marked by the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics as one of the world's most ground breaking scientific achievements. Three research projects at Imperial will share the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding as part of a new programme with a number of industrial partners, including aeroplane manufacturer Airbus. The scientists receiving the grant hope to develop graphene technologies that will contribute to the UK economy and can be applied by industries around the world. Professor Neil Alford, deputy principal for research in Imperial's Faculty of Engineering, who is playing a key role in one of the new projects, said: "This is a tremendous opportunity for UK science and industry. The new funding will enable us to bring graphene a step closer to useful applications, by helping us explore the physical and mechanical properties of this remarkable material, as well as its behaviour at high frequency." In one project worth £1.35 million, led by Professor Tony Kinloch from the Department of Mechanical Engineering with colleagues from the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, researchers will explore how combining graphene with current materials can improve the properties of aeroplane parts, such as making them resistant to lightning-strikes. They hope the same technology can also be used to develop coatings for wind-turbine blades, to make them scratch resistant and physically tougher in extreme weather conditions. Professor Eduardo Saiz, from the Department of Materials, will develop new manufacturing processes using liquids that contain tiny suspended particles of graphene, in order to reduce the cost of currently expensive industrial techniques. This project will receive £1.91 million funding and involves scientists from Imperial's Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Queen Mary, University of London.£1.37 million of funding received by Professor Norbert Klein, also from the Department of Materials and shared with Imperial's Department of Physics, will pay for new equipment to deposit extremely thin sheets of graphene, so scientists can explore its electrical properties. They hope that new medical scanning technology may be developed as a result of how graphene responds to high frequency electromagnetic waves, from microwave to terahertz frequencies and all the way to the wavelengths of visible light. Professor Alford said: "At Imperial we will use the funding to build on first class research that crosses several College departments to vastly improve current technologies such as catalysis, supercapacitors, membranes, multifunctional polymer and ceramic composites and a whole range of applications at microwave and optical frequencies. We will work on improving the mechanical properties of composite materials, and addressing the electrical properties of devices, to develop exceptionally sensitive sensors for a range of applications in environmental monitoring and the medical sciences."

Focus on:Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/terahertz

Welcome to the Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering (CTSE), established in February 2012. This Imperial College London centre is in partnership with the UK's RAL Space Millimetre Wave Technology Group and is located within the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London. Our main goal is to become the leading UK platform for terahertz (THz) science and engineering, dedicated to the following:

• Research and development of new materials and their electromagnetic characterization for THz applications
• Research and development of passive components and active devices, based on advanced functional materials and micro/nano-fabrication processing technologies
• Exploration of new applications in the areas of telecommunication and electromagnetic sensing for bioengineering, security and defence applications
• Interdisciplinary education and training in electromagnetic material characterization, millimetre-wave and terahertz engineering, device/circuit simulation and metrology.

In addition, CTSE provides:

• A forum to stimulate more formal inter-departmental/faculty collaboration at Imperial College London, ensuring cross-fertilisation between different fields of research.
• A joint facility for external collaboration with academia, research laboratories, government agencies and industry.
• A forum for the exchange of ideas between researchers, as well as a focal point for the exchange of expertise and resources.
• A venue for educational teaching activities (e.g. joint masters degree courses and Summer Schools).

T-Rays technology could help develop Star Trek-style hand-held medical scanners

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=24012.php (Nanowerk News) Scientists who have developed a new way to create a type of radiation known as Terahertz (THz) or T-rays - the technology behind full-body security scanners - say their new, stronger and more efficient continuous wave T-rays could be used to make better medical scanning gadgets and may one day lead to innovations similar to the "tricorder" scanner used in Star Trek.

In a study published recently in Nature Photonics ("Greatly enhanced continuous-wave terahertz emission by nano-electrodes in a photoconductive photomixer"), researchers from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore and Imperial College London in the UK have made T-rays into a much stronger directional beam than was previously thought possible and have efficiently produced T-rays at room-temperature conditions. This breakthrough allows future T-ray systems to be smaller, more portable, easier to operate, and much cheaper.

Optical microscope picture of an antenna structure with the nano-antennas built into its centre (highlighted, top left) and the electric field distribution (top right). Bottom: An optical microscope image showing the unique nano-antennas and their effect on the THz waves generated.

The scientists say that the T-ray scanner and detector could provide part of the functionality of a Star Trek-like medical "tricorder" - a portable sensing, computing and data communications device - since the waves are capable of detecting biological phenomena such as increased blood flow around tumorous growths. Future scanners could also perform fast wireless data communication to transfer a high volume of information on the measurements it makes.

T-rays are waves in the far infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum that have a wavelength hundreds of times longer than visible light. Such waves are already in use in airport security scanners, prototype medical scanning devices and in spectroscopy systems for materials analysis. T-rays can sense molecules such as those present in cancerous tumours and living DNA as every molecule has its unique signature in the THz range. T-rays can also be used to detect explosives or drugs, in gas pollution monitoring or non-destructive testing of semiconductor integrated circuit chips. However, the current continuous wave T-rays need to be created under very low temperatures with high energy consumption. Existing medical T-ray imaging devices have only low output power and are very expensive.

In the new technique, the researchers demonstrated that it is possible to produce a strong beam of T-rays by shining light of differing wavelengths on a pair of electrodes - two pointed strips of metal separated by a 100 nanometre gap on top of a semiconductor wafer. The unique tip-to-tip nano-sized gap electrode structure greatly enhances the THz field and acts like a nano-antenna that amplifies the THz wave generated. The waves are produced by an interaction between the electromagnetic waves of the light pulses and a powerful current passing between the semiconductor electrodes from the carriers generated in the underlying semiconductor. The scientists are able to tune the wavelength of the T-rays to create a beam that is useable in the scanning technology.

Lead author Dr Jing Hua Teng, from A*STAR's IMRE, said: "The secret behind the innovation lies in the new nano-antenna that we had developed and integrated into the semiconductor chip." Arrays of these nano-antennas create much stronger THz fields that generate a power output that is 100 times higher than the power output of commonly used THz sources that have conventional interdigitated antenna structures. A stronger T-ray source renders the T-ray imaging devices more power and higher resolution.

Research co-author Stefan Maier, a Visiting Scientist at A*STAR's IMRE and Professor in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, said: "T-rays promise to revolutionise medical scanning to make it faster and more convenient, potentially relieving patients from the inconvenience of complicated diagnostic procedures and the stress of waiting for accurate results. Thanks to modern nanotechnology and nanofabrication, we have made a real breakthrough in the generation of T-rays that takes us a step closer to these new scanning devices. With the introduction of a gap of only 0.1 micrometers into the electrodes, we have been able to make amplified waves at the key wavelength of 1000 micrometers that can be used in such real world applications."

The research was led by scientists from A*STAR's IMRE and Imperial College London, and involved partners from A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and the National University of Singapore. The research is funded under A*STAR's Metamaterials Programme and the THz Programme, as well as the Leverhume Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK.

Source: A*STAR