From FIR and millimeter waves to THz plasma diagnostics applications

The 0.1–30 THz frequency range routinely studied with time-domain spectroscopy (TDS), has an unquestionable diagnostic potential for tokamak plasmas, thus THz-TDS applications appear to be the natural evolution of FIR and submillimeter wave diagnostics. By illuminating the plasma with a THz beam, phase, intensity and polarization of reflected and transmitted wave can be simultaneously detected, potentially measuring several plasma parameters with a single diagnostic.