Science and technology at the heart of the electromagnetic spectrum

Professor Mark Sherwin

UCSB Physics

The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation widely used by the human race extends from the AM radio band (about 1 MHz) to the X-ray band (about 10 18 Hz). The heart of this spectrum, between about 0.1 and 10 terahertz (THz=10 12 Hz), is technologically underserved, growing explosively, and full of scientific and technological opportunities. UC Santa Barbara has an extremely strong, interdisciplinary group of faculty and unique set of facilities—including but not limited to the UC Santa Barbara Free-Electron Lasers—which enable us to make pioneering contributions. I will give an overview of terahertz research at UC Santa Barbara, and discuss in particular the construction of the world’s highest-frequency high-power pulsed electron spin resonance spectrometer. A highly interdisciplinary team plans to use this instrument to “film” proteins in action.