HYPer-Spectral near-field microscope in Terahertz Extended Range – HYPSTER

Electromagnetic radiation at mid-infrared (MIR) and terahertz (THz) frequencies (0.1 – 100 THz) addresses a rich variety of light-matter interactions. Unfortunately, diffraction limits the spatial resolution of classical far-field microscopes to nearly half the radiation wavelength, which lies in the 1µm-1mm range for THz wavelengths. In this context, the proposal HYPSTER, HYPer-Spectral near-field microscopy in Terahertz Extended Range, aims at instrumentation beyond the limits by proposing a new scattering near field optical microscope. This tool will integrate i-a novel MEMS probe technology, and ii-an optical signal chain with broadband synchrotron source and sensitivity (NEP) improved by a factor of 10 using electro-optical detection method. In the framework of nanomaterials research related to modern spintronic challenges (ultrafast, ultra dense memories), the instrumental advances will be applied to study the physics of antiferromagnetic epilayers.