Ongoing and Recent Research
Published papers detailing the research below may be found here.
Ongoing Research
Terahertz Non-Destructive Evaluation of Corroding Paint Layers - The main goal of this research is to assess the capabilities of terahertz non-destructive evaluation to detect evidence of corrosion under a multilayer paint stack before the corrosion is evident on the surface of the paint stack.
Fossilized Amber - For this project, fossilized amber is characterized by terahertz non-destructive evaluation. THz NDE is used to characterize the real refractive index and attenuation coefficient of different amber deposits as well as the intrinsic stresses in the material. THz NDE may be used to identify various inclusions in the amber including insects such as termites, plant debris, cracks, air bubbles, etc.
Terahertz Non-Destructive Evaluation of 3D Printed Components - Validation of the quality, dimensions, and functionality of additively manufactured parts is a key area of inquiry. For this project, THz NDE is applied to evaluate 3D printed components.
Terahertz Van Atta Reflecting Arrays - THz communications will be inherently line-of-sight (LoS) based. Mobile users can temporarily lose the signal if blocked by static or moving obstacles. For indoor situations, furniture, people or other objects can block LoS transmission.Non-line-of-sight (NLoS) communication will require new technologies that can maintain the link between transmitters and receivers. When LoS links are blocked, one solution is to use a NLoS path by reflecting THz beams from walls or ceilings. A new approach to THz mirror design is investigated: Van Atta array reflectors. As an initial step in the development of THz Van Atta arrays for indoor THz wireless links, the objective of this work is to design, fabricate, and characterize a passive planar retroreflector for the THz frequencies. The Van Atta arrays are fabricated using additive manufacturing.
Terahertz Wireless Communication - The Federici/Gatley group has made many contributions to this field of research. Please click on the link to access our past and most recent work.
Terahertz Power Beaming - The goal of power beaming is to use electromagnetic waves (eg. visible light, infrared light, terahertz waves, microwaves) to transmit energy over long distances. On the reciever end, the electromagnetic energy is converted into electrical power. Applications include continuous powering/ battery recharging of land-based and air-based drones without having to land the drones and switch out batteries!
Past Research (Selective topics which are some of Prof. Federici's favorites!)
Terahertz Non-Destructive Evaluation of Wine Corks and Eonology - This project combined my two favorite things: Terahertz and Wine!