Brown University researchers have demonstrated a way to bring a powerful form of spectroscopy – a technique used to study a wide variety of materials, into the nano-world. Laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) is a burgeoning means of characterizing the performance of solar cells, integrated circuits and other systems and materials. Laser pulses illuminating a sample material cause the emission of terahertz radiation, which carries important information about the sample’s electrical properties.