Terahertz Complex Refractive Index and Guiding of White Staghorn Coral

Corals are the remains of animals that grow on warm beaches. They have been used as decorative jewels because of their variety of colors, and as medicinal materials for treating cancers, AIDS, and other therapeutic uses because of their chemical elements. Corals are mainly composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and have many air pores, tens to hundreds of micrometers in size. The refractive indices and absorption coefficients of dried sliced staghorn corals are investigated using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The measured values are similar to those for CaCO₃, as expected. It is observed that a sample with a microstructure formed by air pores can guide terahertz waves. The dispersion, effective index, and loss of the guiding modes of coral core surrounded by five triangular air pores are numerically calculated. The simulated spatial distribution of the electric field of the guide mode at 1.25 THz shows the mode to be tightly confined to the core.