A T-ray imaging system employing an optical resonator that is adapted to be (i) positioned in the near-field proximity to a surface of a sample and (ii) pumped with pump light such that the pump light traverses a relatively thin layer of an electro-optically responsive material (EORM) located in the resonator's cavity. The imaging system has an optical detector that is adapted to detect at least a portion of the pump light reflected from the resonator, while the sample is illuminated with terahertz (THz) radiation such that the EORM is exposed to that radiation resulting in a detectable phase shift in the reflected pump light.