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KEVIN O. DOUGLASS, DAVID F. PLUSQUELLIC, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION, GAITHERSBURG, MD 20899; EYAL GERECHT, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY,ELECTROMAGNETICS DIVISION, BOULDER, CO 80305.
New opportunities are provided by the development of higher power THz frequency multiplier sources, the development of a broadband Chirped-Pulse FTMW spectroscopy technique at microwave and mmWave frequencies, and recently demonstrated heterodyne hot electron bolometer detection technology in the THz frequency region with near quantum noise-limited performance and high spectral resolution. Combining these three technologies and extending the chirped-pulse technique to 0.85 THz enables a host of new applications. NIST is currently pursing applications as a point sensor for greenhouse gases, volatile organic compounds, and potentially human breath. The generation and detection of phase stable chirped pulses at 850 GHz will be demonstrated. A description of the experimental setup and preliminary data will be presented for nitrous oxide.