Terahertz Light Fingerprints Biomolecular Dynamics

20 years ago Grischkowsky and coworkers began a revolution in the terahertz (THz) optical range [1]. Zhang and others extended this new field so that measurements unimagined previously became accessible in table top systems [2]. An immediate effort began to determine intramolecular dynamics of biomacromolecules such as RNA's and proteins. This talk will discuss how THz polarization techniques can be used to both fingerprint specific biomolecules and reveal their biologically important changes. I will also discuss challenges that must be addressed to fully realize THz light's impact on the biomedical community.