Introduction to a Special Mini-Issue on Advanced Terahertz Technologies and Efforts Towards Practical Applications

The idea for this special mini issue of the IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology came out of a chance meeting with Prof. Tadao Nagatsuma of Osaka University, at an IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques society conference last year. Prof. Nagatsuma mentioned that the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE) of Japan was releasing a special issue in the Journal of the IEICE1 that focused on Terahertz Applications. The articles were all by Japanese authors and were to be published in Japanese. The idea that this topic might appeal to a wider THz audience, prompted us to explore the possibility of republishing these papers as part of our mission to bring more visibility to terahertz science and applications from groups around the globe that might not otherwise publish their results in English.