Millimeter wave devices utilizing electrically polarized media

Claim 1

APPARATUS COMPRISING A TRANSDUCER FOR ALTERING INCOMING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION PROVIDED WITH FIRST MEANS FOR RECEIVING RADIATION AND SECOND MEANS FOR EMITTING THE ALTERED ENERGY, SAID RADIATION BEING WITHIN A RANGE HAVING A MAXIMUM WAVELENGTH OF 10 MICROMETERS AND MANIFESTING A VARIATION IN INPUT RADIATION INTENSITY ON A TIME SCALE CORRESPONDING WITH A CYCLE TIME OF UP TO ABOUT 10 TERAHERTZ, SAID TRANSDUCER BEING SO ADAPTED AS TO EMIT AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL HAVING AN ELECTRIC FIELD VARIATION CORRESPONDING TO THE SAID VARIATION, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID TRANSDUCER CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A BODY WHICH IS CAPABLE OF MANIFESTING ELECTRICAL POLARIZATION ON A MACROSCALE AND CONTAINING AN ABSORBING SPECIES HAVING A MAXIMUM ABSORBATION LENGTH FOR THE SAID RADIATION OF ABOUT 0.2CM, SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRETY OF THE ABSORPTION RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAID ABSORPTION LENGTH BEING DUE TO A CHARGE IN ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION FROM A GROUND STATE TO AN EXCITED STATE WITHIN THE SAID ABSORBING SPIECES, THE SAID ABSORBING SPIECES HAVING A DIPOLE MOMENT IN THE GROUND STATE OF AT LEAST 0.01 DEBYE WHEN THE ENVIORMENT OF THE ABSORBING SPIECES WITHIN THE SAID BODY IS POLAR, WHEREBY ELECTRONI EXCITATION RESULTS IN AN ELECTRICAL IMPULSE WITH THE NET ELECTRICAL SIGNAL REPRESENTING NET EFFECT OF THE TOTALITY OF SUCH IMPULES RESPONSIVE TO THE SAID VARIATION OF INCOMING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION SAID SECOND MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNAL TO UTILIZATION MEANS.