World’s Fastest Camera: A Breakthrough in Ultrafast Imaging
In the world of cameras, speed is often a desirable quality. From capturing fast-moving objects to creating slow-motion footage, having a camera that can keep up with the action is crucial. However, what if I told you that there is now a camera that can capture events occurring within femtoseconds? That’s right, quadrillionths of a second. Engineers at the INRS Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre in Canada have unveiled the world’s fastest camera, capable of shooting at an astounding rate of 156.3 trillion frames per second (fps).
The breakthrough was led by Jinyang Liang, a Professor at INRS, and his research team. Their work showcases the development of an ultrafast camera system capable of capturing up to 156.3 trillion frames per second with remarkable precision.
All About the SCARF
The system, dubbed SCARF (swept-coded aperture real-time femtophotography), represents a significant advancement in the field of ultrafast imaging. It allows for the observation of transient absorption in semiconductors and ultrafast demagnetization of metal alloys, opening doors for exploration in physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.
The researchers claim that professor Liang’s expertise in ultrafast imaging has garnered global recognition. His previous work in 2018 laid the foundation for SCARF, addressing limitations in existing ultrafast camera systems.
Many systems based on compressed ultrafast photography have to cope with degraded data quality and have to trade the sequence depth of the field of view. These limitations are attributable to the operating principle, which requires simultaneously shearing the scene and the coded aperture, Miguel Marquez, postdoctoral fellow and co-first author of the study, said in a press release statement.
SCARF represents a departure from these limitations. Unlike previous systems, it employs an imaging modality that allows for ultrafast sweeping of a static coded aperture without shearing the ultrafast phenomenon. This advancement enables full-sequence encoding rates of up to 156.3 THz to individual pixels on a camera, providing unparalleled insights into unique phenomena.
Beyond Scientific Exploration
The implications of SCARF extend beyond scientific exploration. The technology holds promise for economic spin-offs, with companies like Axis Photonique and Few-Cycle collaborating with Professor Liang’s team to commercialize their patent-pending discovery.
Reference: World’s Fastest Camera Shoots Astonishing 156.3 Trillion Frames Per Second
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