TAOYAKA PROGRAM for creating a flexible, enduring, peaceful society　Organization of Program for Leading Graduate Schools

Broadly speaking, Professor Kadoya is a specialist in optical technology. In particular he focuses on research in two areas, terahertz wave technology and plasmonics. First we asked for an explanation of terahertz wave technology.

Terahertz (THz) waves show the electromagnetic waves on the borderline between light and radio waves. “To begin with, in the electromagnetic waves in both light and radio waves, a THz is equal to more than 10¹² hertz, so THZ is very high frequency and is said to be something that splits light, a low frequency range, from radio waves.” The professor explains.
To make radio waves it is normal to use a transistor, and for light a laser. But both of these reach their operating limit right at the THz range. Since this made them difficult to manage they weren’t often used in the past. Now however, both fields are being widely researched around the world.

“Metal is normally just treated as something that reflects light. However for a long time it has been used in different ways. For example stained glass windows in churches. They never fade, because the source of the colors is metal. They use tiny metallic nanoparticles to make the colors.” The professor explains. There is a limit to how finely normal glass lenses can focus light, but you can surpass those limits by using metal. This is being put to use in things like super-high definition microscopes, which actually use metal probes.

In 2010, using this kind of property, Professor Kadoya’s lab successfully created something called a ‘light antenna’. “Antennas are things that normally use radio waves, a good example being the antenna for receiving terrestrial TV broadcasting that all houses have. For this we made a　new version of the Yagi-Uda antenna that used light. I’d really like to use this kind of technology in some way on my Taoyaka Program.”

In this way, the professor, whose interest in practical application uses has been heightened, says he was able to confirm the usefulness of studying on the Taoyaka Program.

“At first I thought of doing it for disadvantaged areas, in the middle of it, perhaps I didn’t think that any more, but at the end I wanted to take it there, so I think there are many different approaches. In any event, the integration of arts and science or disadvantaged areas, the countries of Asia, what can be called the characteristics of the Taoyaka Program, as current engineering students, I think this may be the part that originally everyone should be conscious of.” The professor has big expectations of the educational benefits that the Taoyaka Program could bring to students.