South Korean researchers say they have contributed to advancing the commercialization of terahertz radiation.

Seoul National University Professors Park Gun-sik and Kim DaiSik led teams in researching light source development theory and conducting experiments on electromagnetic waves in the frequency region a thousand times greater than the spectrum for gigahertz.

Their papers were published in the most recent issue of renowned academic journal Physical Review Letters.

The study of terahertz rays has barely been exploited because no cheap and practical sources of terahertz radiation exist, thus leading to a "terahertz gap."

Experts view that, if terahertz radiation is commercialized, more sophisticated and stable methods of diagnosis than X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will become available.