terahertz

noun

tera·​hertz ˈter-ə-ˌhərts 

-ˌherts

plural terahertz

: a unit of frequency equal to one trillion hertz

Visible light occupies the neighborhood of 300 terahertz, which is 300 x 1012 cycles per second.

—Dave Doody

Terahertz waves also occupy a unique window of the electromagnetic spectrum where a large number of molecules emit and absorb radiation.

—Michael C. Wanke et al.

Examples of terahertz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This capability comes from the broadband nature of Rydberg atoms, which can operate from direct current to terahertz frequencies. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026

Moving From the Lab to the Real World In experiments, the antenna achieved radiation efficiencies between 90 and 100 percent—meaning that nearly all terahertz signals flowing through the chip leaked out in a precisely controllable pattern. —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Feb. 2026

The company told TechCrunch it's been working on terahertz sensing systems for the last few years, demoing it for car manufacturers, and most recently, landing US$150 million in a Series B funding round. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

tera- + hertz

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above