ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves

Have you ever played with a flashlight and noticed that the light is only visible in front of you and not on the sides or back? Well, there is a type of light that is invisible to our eyes but still exists and it can help us see things that regular light cannot.

This type of light is called infrared or IR for short, and it is like a superpower because it can help us see things that we normally could not. For example, did you know that snakes use IR to hunt their prey? They can detect heat from the bodies of their prey and strike with accuracy.

Now, think of a TV remote control. When you press a button, the TV responds to it even though you cannot see any visible light coming out of the remote. Well, that is because it uses IR to send signals to the TV. Kind of cool, right?

IR is not the only type of light that can help us see things. There is also millimeter waves and terahertz waves. These types of waves are used for lots of things too. For example, airport security scanners use these waves to detect hidden objects or weapons on people.

Scientists and researchers use all three types of waves to study things like materials, gases, and even the Earth's atmosphere. They write about their discoveries and experiments in a special journal called the Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves.

This journal helps us learn more about how these types of waves work and how we can use them to make better technology or even improve our understanding of the world around us.