Dictionary

T-ray en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtiːˌɹeɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈtiˌɹeɪ/ (General-American)
• (General-American) audio
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Initialism of t(erahertz) + ray, modelled after X-ray. The term was coined in Bell Labs in the United States in the mid-1990s.

Meanings

1. (also, attributive, in-plural) An electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves, generally in the 0.1 to 10 terahertz (THz) band of frequencies.
   • This terahertz "T-ray" technology combines imaging, real-time acquisition of terahertz waveforms and advanced signal processing techniques to obtain far-infrared images of objects and materials. In many cases, T-Ray^([sic]) images can also distinguish chemical compositions of the object. These features of T-ray imaging have generated interest in commercial applications in diverse areas as moisture analysis, quality control of plastic parts, packaging inspection, and trace gas analysis and monitoring. 1996 September, Daniel M. Mittleman, Rune H[ylsberg] Jacobsen, Martin C. Nuss, “T-ray Imaging”, in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, volume 2, number 3, New York, N.Y.: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2023, page 679:
   • A useful property of T-rays is that dry, nonpolar, and nonmetallic substances such as paper, cardboard, and plastics are transparent in these^([sic – meaning this]) frequency band. As this includes many packaging materials, the implication is that T-rays have potential applications in quality control and security. The content of packages can be noninvasively probed and T-rays can produce a molecular fingerprint to identify the contents. 2007 August, Derek Abbott, Xi-Cheng Zhang, “Scanning the Issue: T-Ray Imaging, Sensing, and Retection”, in Proceedings of the IEEE, volume 95, number 8, New York, N.Y.: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2025, page 1511, column 1:
   • Researchers in Japan have smashed the record for wireless data transmission in the terahertz band, an uncharted part of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The data rate is 20 times higher than the best commonly used wi-fi standard. […] The research, published in Electronics Letters, adds to the idea that this "T-ray" band could offer huge swathes of bandwidth for data transmission. The band lies between the microwave and far-infrared regions of the spectrum, and is currently completely unregulated by telecommunications agencies. […] Until recently, the technology required both to generate and detect these "T-rays" has been too bulky, costly or power-hungry to offer a plausible alternative to existing devices tucked within smartphones or wi-fi routers. That looks set to change; in November electronic component firm ROHM demonstrated a 1.5Gb/s (1.5 billion bits per second) transfer rate at a frequency of 300GHz. 2012 May 16, “Milestone for Wi-fi with ‘T-rays’”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 14 Oct 2023:
   • Military officials believe T-rays could pinpoint the chemical constituents of anti-personnel mines, and spot terrorists carrying explosives into airports. Doctors are interested in T-rays because they are less damaging to living tissue than X-rays. Terahertz radiation is slightly more energetic than that of microwave ovens, and slightly less energetic than the infra-red light emitted by TV remote controls. […] Scientists are designing devices that can exploit the power of T-ray detection. 2000 July 1, Robin McKie, “T-rays take over from X-rays”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 May 2014:

Forms

Hypernyms

submillimeter wave radiation · terahertz radiation · tremendously high frequency

Synonyms

T-wave

Translations (3)

pl fala submilimetrowa (electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves) · ca raig T (electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves) · fi terahertsiaalto (electromagnetic wave with a frequency intermediate between, and sharing the properties of, short radio waves and long infrared waves)

wikipedia: Bell Labs · wikipedia: International Telecommunication Union