The new high-speed camera showed the movement of light

For centuries, the scientific community has not been able to prove these or those theories, because the human eye is unable to see some physical phenomena. Modern technology has opened up new possibilities, allowing you to capture even the reflection of moving light.

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne were able to track the movement of light with a high-speed MegaX camera capable of shooting at 24,000 frames per second. It also used an ultra-fast electronic shutter with a frequency of only 3.8 nanoseconds.

“Thanks to the large number of pixels and the fast shutter, you can see the light spread in several pictures without moving the camera or overlaying the images taken by other cameras. Everything is done on MegaX, “said the author of the study. An experiment was used for the experiment, where light is reflected sequentially from several mirrors.

Since it is impossible to see light in flight, the researchers focused on the motion of laser pulse photons that scatter particles in the air. Using knowledge of the pulse trajectory and how long the pulses reached the camera, the team applied machine learning algorithms to construct a three-dimensional light path. According to experts, this discovery can be useful not only in research, but also in virtual and augmented reality, robotics and self-driving cars. Knowledge of the movement of light allows devices to more accurately reproduce the environment.