March 7, 2006

Working with colleagues at the Advanced Laser Light Source in Montreal,a UNBC Physics professor has made a research achievement that may provevital to the forest industry and other applications for imagingtechnology.

Matt Reid has used ultrafast lasers to produce bursts of terahertzwaves with the largest energies ever, breaking the previous worldrecord that was set in 1993.  

Terahertz waves are located on the electromagnetic spectrum, betweengigahertz (used in microwave ovens and cell phones) and petahertz (usedby lasers and fluorescent lights). They have been the subject ofresearch for the past 20 years but the higher energies now availableare key to realizing many potential industrial applications.

“Terahertz waves have many of the same benefits as x-rays without thehealth dangers,” says Dr. Reid, who graduated from DP Todd Secondary inPrince George and earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics andMathematics from UNBC. “The applications of terahertz technology rangefrom airport security to detecting pollutants in the atmosphere. I’mmost interested now in applying this technology to the forest industry.”

Dr. Reid is working with Bruce Sutherland and Wolftek Industries ofPrince George to bring terahertz technology from the lab to the “realworld.” They are applying their results to systems that willcharacterize the fibre quality of wood, both as logs and as processedwood products. These will allow mill managers to extract the maximumvalue from each tree. For example, one of the goals is to enable forestoperations to better utilize logs affected by the mountain pine beetle.

Visit www.unbc.ca/media
•    More information about the research
•    High-resolution photos
•    Diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum
•    Audio clips for radio
•    Information on how to access broadcast-quality video

Contact:
Dr. Matthew Reid, Physics professor, UNBC – 250.960.6622
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622