Terahertz Waves in New Material (IMAGE) Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf Caption An international research team has been able to show that it is relatively easy to generate terahertz waves with an alloy of mercury, cadmium and tellurium. To examine the behavior of the electrons in the material, the physicists use the free-electron laser FELBE at HZDR. Circularly polarized terahertz pulses (orange spiral) excite the electrons (red) from the lowest to the next higher energy level (parabolic shell). The energy gap of these so-called Landau levels can be adjusted with the help of a magnetic field. Credit HZDR / Juniks Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.