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Since its inception about 20 years ago, the field of terahertz science and technology has continued to be a thriving area of research and development. CENTERA2 will offer an original inter-disciplinary approach to implement Terahertz science and technology to the benefit of the society. CENTERA will be unique in bringing interdisciplinary research teams into a single center with a main objective to promote and incorporate THz science and applications in the society.

A very useful property of THz radiation is that it easily penetrates most of non-metallic materials, providing at the same time spectroscopic information for matter classification. It allows to investigate internal structures or content of objects. In spite of a great success of THz technologies in research, applications have been hindered by nonavailability of specific components and sensors, and by a complexity of THz systems.

CENTERA2 will focus on five areas of applications important for society:

1. safety and security (postal scanners, landing assistance vision and crowd monitoring),
2. non-destructive quality control (packaging inspection, aeronautic and automobile industry fiber-injected parts inspection),
3. environment (plant and food inspection scanners),
4. medicine and health (a microscope for skin cancer and chirurgical diagnosis assistance),
5. a high data rate wireless communication.

For all these applications THz detectors , filters, sources and emitters developed in CENTERA2 will be used.

The primary target group of the Project are the researchers in the Center of Excellence. The secondary targets are the THz researchers in Poland and CEE and a commercial entities exploring or planning to explore THz area.

Current project aims to push forward development of Center of Excellence that will facilitate further qualitative progress, a leap forward in the THz field by (i) providing new ideas for THz-oriented devices, (ii) developing them towards applications, employing ‘value-chain’ approach, and (iii) promoting their commercialization.

The project workplan encompasses the activities of four closely interacting Work Groups (WG’s). WG1 will investigate new solid-state phenomena that can lead to detection, modulation, amplification or generation of THz radiation, as well as phenomena for which the use of THz radiation is the key issue in view of getting groundbreaking progress in science and applications. WG2 will be exploring novel materials and their modulated (quasi 1D and 2D) structures. Studies will be focused on elementary excitations, such as, magnons, plasmons, phonons, and their coupled forms (polarons) in the THz range. WG3 activity is aimed at development of analytical and numerical tools for modelling of new THz phenomena and materials. Special efforts are intended to be focused on first principles calculations and Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of electronic and magnetic excitations in THz devices. WG4 will push forward the development of new devices and systems, aiming at rapid technology transfer and/or commercialization. Centera2 (with the proposed R&D program) will be established as a modern Centre of Excellence, targeting new developments in Terahertz Science and Technology. Its sustainability will be guaranteed by collaboration with EU industry (technology transfer, start-up creation), as well as with Polish and EU higher education and research entities.