Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team
Team Leader
Chiko Otani
D.Sci.

Contact
otani [at] riken.jp
Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team,
RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics
519-1399 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0845 Japan
Related links
Laboratory Website
Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team
Laboratory on RIKEN Website
Terahertz Sensing and Imaging Research Team | RIKEN
Outline
Terahertz (THz) wave has the unique characteristics such as the transparency to many soft materials and their spectral absorption features. These characteristics can be utilized for many applications in various scientific and industrial fields. In this team, we are developing novel technology, science and applications in THz sensing, imaging and detection. Especially, we have promoted the research of THz spectroscopy of macromolecules, the challenge to the control of molecular structures and functions by the strong THz fields, the research of THz spectroscopy of macromolecules, and the development of high-sensitivity imaging detectors and their applications to the observational research as well as the collaborative research and development for its practical applications.
Fields
Interdisciplinary science and engineering, Engineering, Space Science, Chemistry, Physics, Molecular Biology / Genetics, Agricultural Sciences
Keywords
Terahertz science, Terahertz spectroscopy, Terahertz imaging, Terahertz control, Superconducting detector
Subjects
- Terahertz control of molecular structures and functions of biological protein
- Development of high-sensitivity superconducting detectors for CMB polarization observations
- Applications of terahertz sensing and imaging

(Left) Inhibition of cell division by actin protein fibrillation in cells by terahertz- wave irradiation (microscopic image). (Right) VNA spectrum of a thin-film superconducting microwave resonator with a high quality factor (Qi~108).
Selected Publications
- Ikari, T., Sasaki, Y., and Otani, C.: “275-305 GHz FM-CW radar 3D imaging for walk-through security body scanner” , Photonics. 10, 3, 343 (2023).
- De Miguel, J., and Otani, C.: “Axion-photon multimessenger astronomy with giant flares” , Phys. Rev. D. 106, L041302 (2022).
- Feng, C. H., Otani, C., and Ogawa, Y.: “Innovatively identifying naringin and hesperidin by using terahertz spectroscopy and evaluating flavonoids extracts from waste orange peels by coupling with multivariate analysis” , Food Control vol.137, 108897 (2022).
- Yamazaki, S., Ueno, Y., Hosoki, R., Saito, T., Idehara, T., Yamaguchi, Y., Otani, C., Ogawa, Y., Harata, M., and Hoshina, H.: “THz irradiation inhibits cell division by affecting actin dynamics” , PloS One 16, e0248381 (2021).
- Lee, K., Génova-Santos, R. T., Hazumi, M., Honda, S., Kutsuma, H., Oguri, S., Otani, C., Peel, M. W., Suzuki, J., Tajima, O., Won, E.: “A forecast of the sensitivity on the measurement of the optical depth to reionization with the GroundBIRD experiment” , Astrophys. J., 915, 88 (2021).
Publications
Members
Chiko Otani | Team Leader |
Hiromichi Hoshina | Senior Scientist |
Yuto Kamei | Technical Scientist |
Shusaku Nakajima | Technical Scientist |
Javier De Miguel Hernandez | Special Postdoctoral Researcher |
Mingxi Chen | Junior Research Associate |
Yuya Ueno | Junior Research Associate |
Ryota Ito | Junior Research Associate |