Research Progress of Terahertz Technology in Microbiology

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature, and microbial activities are closely intertwined with the entire life cycle system and human life. Developing novel technologies for the detection, characterization and manipulation of microorganisms promotes their applications in clinical, environmental and industrial areas. Over the last two decades, terahertz (THz) technology has emerged as a new optical tool for microbiology. The great potential originates from the unique advantages of THz waves including the high sensitivity to water and inter-/intra-molecular motions, the non-invasive and label-free detecting scheme, and their low photon energy. THz waves have been utilized as a stimulus to alter microbial functions or as a sensing approach for quantitative measurement and qualitative differentiation. This review specifically focuses on recent research progress of THz technology applied in the field of microbiology, including two major parts of THz biological effects and the microbial detection applications. At the end of this paper, we summarize the research progress and discuss the challenges currently faced by THz technology in microbiology, along with potential solutions. We also provide a perspective on future development directions. This review aims to build a bridge between THz photonics and microbiology, promoting both fundamental research and application development in this interdisciplinary field.