Lecture: “The T-Ray: From Science Fiction to the Study of Living Organisms” UM Thursdays

Thursday, April 26, 2018, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Institute of Botany – University of Montpellier
Tram Line 1 – Albert 1er Stop

Lecture led by Kenneth Maussang, Ph.D. in Physics, researcher at theInstitute of Electronics and Systems (IES), associate professor at the University of Montpellier.
Seeing through opaque objects has long been a fantasy reserved for science fiction, such as Superman and his X-ray vision. While X-rays are used for this purpose—for example, at airport security checkpoints—the rising star is now the T-ray (or terahertz radiation).
It had been waiting for over a century, lurking between visible light and radio waves, patiently waiting for technological advances to bring it into the spotlight. The advent of nanotechnology has enabled the development of T-ray sources in numerous research groups, including those at the University of Montpellier, renowned worldwide for their expertise and know-how, leading to the commercialization of their research through the creation of the startup T-waves. Fabrics and plastics are transparent to T-rays, unlike metals, water, and skin, which block them. Thus, the indiscreet T-ray camera makes it possible to “see” the human body through clothing. Now fully developed, T-rays are poised to illuminate other scientific fields: medical imaging, pollutant detection, security screening…
During this conference, Kenneth Maussang will discuss terahertz radiation and its recent applications in the scientific and socio-economic spheres. He will also present new research areas being developed at the University of Montpellier, which offer new perspectives in fundamental physics, agronomy, and biology, with the aim of better understanding the mechanisms of living organisms…

“UM Thursdays”: a new series of lectures

With its eight faculties, two schools, and six institutes, the University of Montpellier boasts a wealth of instructors andProfessors a wide range of academic disciplines. The university sought to highlight their work and make it accessible to as many people as possible by offering a unique lecture series, with one event per month from October 2017 to May 2018.