Patent ID: 11874227
Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 18:
19. A method for imaging using microwave or terahertz radiation, said method comprising:
providing a single cell comprising a vapour of atoms;
propagating one or more laser beams through said cell, said one or more laser beams defining a sensing region in said cell, wherein said one or more laser beams comprises a plurality of coaxial laser beams arranged as a light sheet defining said sensing region in said cell;
illuminating an object by an imaging beam, said imaging beam comprising microwave or terahertz radiation;
focusing the imaging beam, using an imaging system, to form an image of said object at said sensing region in said cell;
wherein focusing the imaging system comprises using one or more lenses or mirrors to focus a portion of the microwave or terahertz radiation of the imaging beam transmitted or reflected by the object, to form said image of said object at said sensing region in said cell;
wherein respective frequencies of said one or more laser beams and said imaging beam are such that said atoms, when subjected to radiation of both said one or more laser beams and said imaging beam, are excited to a final excited state which decays to a lower energy state by emission of optical fluorescence.