Analysis of the RF Excitation of Endovascular Stents in Small Gap and Overlap Scenarios Using an Electro-Optical E-field Sensor.

Objective: To assess the effect of the electro-magnetic coupling of endovascular stents on their RF heating potential in MRI.

Methods: A custom-built electro-optic E-field probe is used to perform measurements of the scattered E-field at a distance of 2 mm to stent samples with submillimeter resolution. Various combinations of stent lengths are measured at 124 MHz (3T MRI Larmor frequency) with varying gap and overlap between the stents, with and without stent coating, and with distilled water and saline solution as surrounding media.

An optical setup for electric field measurements in MRI with high spatial resolution.

Electric field measurements in the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging environment are important to assess potentially dangerous radio-frequency (RF) heating in the vicinity of metallic structures such as coils, implants or catheters. So far, E-field measurements have been performed with dipole antennas that lag of limited spatial resolution and which are difficult to use in the magnet bore as they interfere with the RF transmit field of the MRI system. In this work an electro-optic sensor is presented that utilizes the Pockels effect to measure the E-field in a clinical MR system with high spatial resolution.

Near-field signature of electromagnetic coupling in metamaterial arrays: a terahertz microscopy study.

Using terahertz near-field imaging we experimentally investigate the interaction between split-ring resonators (SRRs) in metamaterial arrays. Depending on the inter-SRR spacing two regimes can be distinguished for which strong coupling between SRRs occurs. For dense arrays SRRs couple via their electric and magnetic near-fields.

Near-field investigation of induced transparency in similarly oriented double split-ring resonators.

We present near-field measurements of an induced transparency behavior using a double split-ring resonator geometry. Mapping the out-of-plane electric field component directly reveals that the induced transparency is linked to an asymmetric mode profile with the subunits oscillating in antiphase. The measurements are compared to complementary numerical simulations, and excellent agreement is found.

Second harmonic generation based on strong field enhancement in nanostructured THz materials.

The THz response of slit structures and split-ring resonators (SRRs) featuring extremely small gaps on the micro- or nanoscale is investigated numerically. Both structures exhibit strong field enhancement in the gap region due to light-induced current flows and capacitive charging across the gap. Whereas nanoslits allow for broadband enhancement the resonant behavior of the SRRs leads to narrowband amplification and results in significantly higher field enhancement factors reaching several 10,000.

Terahertz near-field microscopy of complementary planar metamaterials: Babinet's principle.

Using terahertz near-field imaging we experimentally investigate the resonant electromagnetic field distributions behind a split-ring resonator and its complementary structure with sub-wavelength spatial resolution. For the out-of-plane components we experimentally verify complementarity of electric and magnetic fields as predicted by Babinet's principle. This duality of near-fields can be used to indirectly map resonant magnetic fields close to metallic microstructures by measuring the electric fields close to their complementary analogues which is particularly useful since magnetic near-fields are still extremely difficult to access in the THz regime.

Terahertz near-field microscopy with subwavelength spatial resolution based on photoconductive antennas.

Imaging and sensing applications based on pulsed terahertz radiation have opened new possibilities for scientific and industrial applications. Many exploit the unique features of the terahertz (THz) spectral region, where common packaging materials are transparent and many chemical compounds show characteristic absorptions. Because of their diffraction limit, THz far-field imaging techniques lack microscopic resolution and, if subwavelength features have to be resolved, near-field techniques are required.

Technical note: Terahertz imaging of ancient mummies and bone.

Ancient mummified soft-tissues are a unique source to study the evolution of disease. Diagnostic imaging of such historic tissues is of foremost interest in paleoanthropology or paleopathology, with conventional x-ray and computed tomography (CT) being the gold-standard. Longer wavelength radiation in the far-infrared or Terahertz region allows diagnostic close-to-surface tissue differentiation of bone morphology while being harmless to human cells.

Chemical sensing and imaging with pulsed terahertz radiation.

Over the past decade, terahertz spectroscopy has evolved into a versatile tool for chemically selective sensing and imaging applications. In particular, the potential to coherently generate and detect short, and hence, broadband terahertz pulses led to the development of efficient and compact spectrometers for this interesting part of the electromagnetic spectrum, where common packaging materials are transparent and many chemical compounds show characteristic absorptions. Although early proof-of-principle demonstrations have shown the great potential of terahertz spectroscopy for sensing and imaging, the technology still often lacks the required sensitivity and suffers from its intrinsically poor spatial resolution.

Lattice modes mediate radiative coupling in metamaterial arrays.

We show that a resonant response with very high quality factors can be achieved in periodic metamaterials by radiatively coupling their structural elements. The coupling is mediated by lattice modes and can be efficiently controlled by tuning the lattice periodicity. Using a recently developed terahertz (THz) near-field imaging technique and conventional far-field spectroscopy together with numerical simulations we pinpoint the underlying mechanisms.

Terahertz near-field imaging of electric and magnetic resonances of a planar metamaterial.

Experimental investigations of the microscopic electric and in particular the magnetic near-fields in metamaterials remain highly challenging and current studies rely mostly on numerical simulations. Here we report a terahertz near-field imaging approach which provides spatially resolved measurements of the amplitude, phase and polarization of the electric field from which we extract the microscopic magnetic near-field signatures in a planar metamaterial constructed of split-ring resonators (SRRs). In addition to studying the fundamental resonances of an individual double SRR unit we further investigate the interaction with neighboring elements.