New technology provides light traveling in slow motion.

[Bill Jobe]

Are any of you able to get your mind around what this could mean in all areas of scientific research?
Almost unbelievable. I trillion frames per second.
I can't wait for them to start showing up at BestBuy.

https://youtu.be/EtsXgODHMWk

I know there are some great minds on this forum. I would like to hear what you make of it.

[John K Jordan]

Are any of you able to get your mind around what this could mean in all areas of scientific research?
Almost unbelievable. I trillion frames per second.
I can't wait for them to start showing up at BestBuy.
https://youtu.be/EtsXgODHMWk
I know there are some great minds on this forum. I would like to hear what you make of it.

This clip may explain the process better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z8EtlBe8Ts
This research is ancient history in scientific circles. Recall that the system can only capture a one dimension (a line) at a time so it is currently only useful for absolutely stationary objects, and small ones at that. This describes more recent research that apparently captures in two dimensions: https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/23/super-fast-camera-records-light-based-sonic-booms/
Since multiple lines of very quick data are captured very slowly the optical setup must be rigid and well controlled in the optics laboratory. Nothing is said about what optical hazards are present in the tuneable and pump laser - a laser lab typically needs strict controls to preserve vision.

The application for "seeing" around corners is probably incredibly computationally intensive.

The nature of laser light is that any image is monochromatic. Color seen in the demonstrations is probably from adding ambient light.
An interesting bit about the titanium sapphire laser used and why: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti-sapphire_laser

I haven't studied this so these are only off-the-cuff comments. When I run into them maybe I'll ask some former colleagues in lasers and optics.

BTW, scaling the process to larger objects may be possible but at great cost. What would the sales tax be at Best Buy on a two million dollar camera?

JKJ, with average mind, definitely not great...

[John Stankus]

Are any of you able to get your mind around what this could mean in all areas of scientific research?
Almost unbelievable. I trillion frames per second.
I can't wait for them to start showing up at BestBuy.

https://youtu.be/EtsXgODHMWk

I know there are some great minds on this forum. I would like to hear what you make of it.

This is building up a slow motion image by taking multiple images.

I am an ultrafast spectroscopist by training. I was tracking the motions of molecules in liquids on the femtosecond timescale (a femtosecond is 0.000000000000001 s) back in graduate school in the late 80's and early 90s (technically it was a ~100 fs system). Titanium Sapphire lasers have made do ultrafast work much simpler now. We weren't doing imaging , but the base technique was pretty similar (approaching 30 years ago)

The group from MIT Media Lab is just time resolving their data collection of the scattered light. The extension of the old idea to 2D images is technologically cool, but not earth shattering. Notice what they didn't tell you...how long does it take to collect and then dataprocess the information. MIT is very good at making the gee-whiz dog and pony shows, that is why they are good at getting funding.
John

[Raymond Fries]

Pretty amazing!