Single-shot imaging captures more information about ultrafast microscopic processes than previously possible
Researchers have developed a new imaging technique that captures more information about ultrafast processes in the microscopic world than was previously possible. The technique offers scientists a powerful new tool to observe ...
"In the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and materials science, many important phenomena happen incredibly fast," said research team leader Yunhua Yao from East China Normal University. "Our new technique can capture the complete evolution of both the brightness and internal structure of an object in a single measurement. This is a big step forward for understanding the fundamental nature of matter, designing new materials and even uncovering the mysteries of biological processes."
The team used the new technique to observe ultrafast processes, including the real-time evolution of plasma generated by a femtosecond laser in water and carriers excited by a femtosecond laser in ZnSe.
"Beyond helping scientists study materials that change instantly in response to laser light, chemical reactions that rearrange atoms at lightning speed and the dynamic behavior of biomolecules over incredibly short timescales, CST-CMFI could help improve high-power laser technologies used for clean energy research, advanced manufacturing and scientific instrumentation," said Yao. "It might also lead to the development of more efficient electronics, improved solar cells and faster devices by enabling a better understanding of how materials behave at extremely fast timescales."
Capturing more information
This visual illustration shows compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI). A chirped laser pulse with time-varying spectral components illuminates a dynamic scene, enabling different wavelengths to capture successive temporal transients. By utilizing dispersion-encoded coherent modulation imaging, CST-CMFI retrieves both the intensity and phase evolutions. Credit: Yunhua Yao, East China Normal University
Researchers developed a new imaging technique called compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging that simultaneously captures ultrafast changes in an object's intensity and its phase distribution in real-time. The imaging system is pictured. Credit: Yunhua Yao, East China Normal University
The researchers used the new technique to observe femtosecond laser–induced carrier dynamics in ZnSe. The images show the spatiotemporal evolution of the intensity (top images) and phase (bottom images). Notably, the phase variations are significantly more pronounced than the intensity fluctuations. Credit: Yunhua Yao, East China Normal University