Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France, NEST, CNR, Istituto Nanoscienze and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, Pisa, Italy, School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, United States, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin - Madison, United States, Engineering Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, Dresden, Germany, Physics Department, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Jefferson Laboratory, 12000 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA, United States, Centro de Investigaciones en Optica A.C., Loma del Bosque 115, Lomas del Campestre, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, Microsystems Technology Group, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom, CEA-Leti MINATEC, 17 rue des Martyrs, Grenoble, Cedex 9, France, Department of EEE, Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Faculty of Physics and Material Sciences Center, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany, Department of Chemistry, Energy Sciences Institute, Yale University, 225 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, United States, Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, Regensburg, Germany, Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, Australia, Department of Chemical Engineering, Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, JJ Thompson Avenue, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Syracuse University, Department of Chemistry, 111 College Place, Syracuse, NY, United States, Millimetre Wave Technology Group, STFC, RAL Space, United Kingdom, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 180-703, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, United States, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States, Innovasec Ltd, 212b West Malvern Road, Malvern, Worcs, United Kingdom, Goethe-Leibniz Terahertz Center, Goethe University of Frankfurt Am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, United Kingdom, Department of Optoelectronics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstr. 55, Duisburg, Germany, Division of Time, Quantum and Electromagnetics, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, United Kingdom, School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom

Science and technologies based on terahertz frequency electromagnetic radiation (100 GHz-30 THz) have developed rapidly over the last 30 years. For most of the 20th Century, terahertz radiation, then referred to as sub-millimeter wave or far-infrared radiation, was mainly utilized by astronomers and some spectroscopists. Following the development of laser based terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in the 1980s and 1990s the field of THz science and technology expanded rapidly, to the extent that it now touches many areas from fundamental science to 'real world' applications. For example THz radiation is being used to optimize materials for new solar cells, and may also be a key technology for the next generation of airport security scanners. While the field was emerging it was possible to keep track of all new developments, however now the field has grown so much that it is increasingly difficult to follow the diverse range of new discoveries and applications that are appearing. At this point in time, when the field of THz science and technology is moving from an emerging to a more established and interdisciplinary field, it is apt to present a roadmap to help identify the breadth and future directions of the field. The aim of this roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of THz science and technology in 2017, and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds. To be able to achieve this aim, we have invited a group of international experts to write 18 sections that cover most of the key areas of THz science and technology. We hope that The 2017 Roadmap on THz science and technology will prove to be a useful resource by providing a wide ranging introduction to the capabilities of THz radiation for those outside or just entering the field as well as providing perspective and breadth for those who are well established. We also feel that this review should serve as a useful guide for government and funding agencies. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

semiconductors, terahertz, time-domain spectroscopy

Airport security, Electromagnetic wave emission, Electromagnetic waves, Infrared radiation, Laser applications, Millimeter waves, Reflectometers, Semiconductor materials, Submillimeter waves, Terahertz spectroscopy, Far-infrared radiation, Interdisciplinary fields, International experts, Science and Technology, Tera Hertz, Terahertz frequencies, Terahertz time domain spectroscopy, Time domain spectroscopy, Terahertz waves