Removal of water-vapor-induced fluctuations in T-ray signals: A preliminary study

Abstract

In an open-air setting, one source of fluctuations in a T-ray (THz) pulsed signal is attributed to water vapor. Fluctuations of this type are generally undesired, and so the water vapor is commonly removed in a closed chamber. Yet, in some applications a closed chamber is not feasible. This paper presents a preliminary study on a computational means to address the problem. Initially, the complex frequency response of water vapor is modeled from spectral line data. Using a deconvolution technique, together with fine tuning of the line strength at each frequency, the response is partially removed from a measured T-ray pulse, with minimal signal distortion.