4. 3D terahertz scanner

The second THz imaging device used to analyze heritage objects is based on the continuous emission of a millimeter-wavelength electromagnetic wave (sub-THz range) coupled with incoherent thermal detection. The device, developed in close collaboration with the ALPhANOV optics and lasers technology center in Bordeaux, enables objects to be viewed in three dimensions (3D imaging) following a digital volume reconstruction process. This involves the use of a THz scanner, comparable in its mode of operation to the X-ray scanner commonly used in medical imaging.