Title: Terahertz Nanoplasmonics for Ultrasensitive Molecular Sensing
Abstract:
Terahertz (THz) waves probe low-energy molecular vibrations and intermolecular interactions, offering label-free, non-destructive spectroscopic fingerprints of chemical and biological species. However, the enormous mismatch between THz wavelengths (hundreds of micrometers) and molecular dimensions has fundamentally limited the sensitivity of THz spectroscopy for trace-level analysis. In this talk, I will present how metallic nanostructures, such as nanoslot and nanogap antennas, confine and enhance THz fields by orders of magnitude, dramatically increasing light–matter interaction with molecules located in these hot spots. I will discuss how this platform enables highly sensitive and selective detection of small molecules and biological targets, and outline its prospects for practical analytical applications.
Bio:
Minah Seo, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences at Sogang University, Seoul, Korea. She joined Sogang University in September 2025 after a distinguished career at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), where she served as a Principal Research Scientist from 2018 to 2025 and as a Senior Research Scientist from 2013 to 2018. During the same period, she was appointed as an Adjunct Professor at KU-KIST, Korea University (2021–2025). Prior to her career at KIST, Dr. Seo was a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States (2010–2013). She earned her Ph.D. in Physics from Seoul National University in 2010, following her M.S. in Physics from the same institution in 2005.