10. Glossary

photo-commutator antenna; photoconductive antenna

A device used as an emitter (or detector) of ultra-short electromagnetic pulses (~ ps) whose spectrum extends beyond THz. Two electrodes are deposited on a resistive semiconductor with a very short excited carrier lifetime. Illumination by an optical pulse creates an electron-hole plasma in the space between the electrodes. As the device is polarized, the acceleration of the photo-carriers by the applied voltage radiates an electromagnetic pulse.

corps noir; black body

A body that perfectly absorbs all the electromagnetic radiation that illuminates it, whatever the frequency of that radiation. Kirchhoff's law indicates that this body is the most efficient emitter of so-called thermal radiation, according to Planck's law.

BWO (Backward Wave...