12M views · Dec 12, 2011 · 2:47 · 1 HN recommender · 9 mentions · discussed 2011–2025
MIT Media Lab shows an imaging system capturing a trillion frames per second, fast enough to film light pulses travelling through objects in slow motion.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN cites it as the original and still-wow reference whenever newer ultra-high-speed light imaging comes up.
“I think you are gonna love this”HN comment, 2022
“I think you are gonna love this”
Trillion-fps imaging of light
Since you are finding about femto-photo today, I think you are gonna love this: link this video By the way. Femto laser are somewhat common nowadays. They are used in eye surgery and microscopy. I even seem papers talking about using them in finger print scanners! See Optical coherence tomography for more info.
“MIT researchers have created a new imaging system that can acquire visual data at a rate of one trillion exposures per second.”
MIT camera capturing light at a trillion fps
The relevant video from MIT Media Lab is here: this video > MIT researchers have created a new imaging system that can acquire visual data at a rate of one trillion exposures per second. That's fast enough to produce a slow-motion video of light traveling through objects. > link
“One of the coolest things I'd ever seen.”
Prior art capturing light in a coke bottle
For those curious, here is prior art from 12 years ago, capturing light in a coke bottle with a single streak camera. this video link I remember when this dropped and where I was when I watched it and read the paper. One of the coolest things I'd ever seen. This seems like a great extension of the work. I'm okay with trading accuracy for crude usefulness as a model. Making this interactive and putting it in the hands of curious minds is the next step.
Earlier video used a blank red label
> There's zero purpose for having a bottle with any label. Light interacts quite differently with the label than the material of the bottle. We get to observe scattering, diffusion, color... y'know, science stuff. It is rather interesting that the first video (from 12 years ago) used a blank red label instead. (See how it differs in from the rest of the bottle? I particularly like how it obscures the pulse itself and highlights the wavefront on the surface.) this video
“It's quite realistic, here's the same thing without AI”
Same effect captured without AI
It's quite realistic, here's the same thing without AI: this video I still share your concern, however, particularly because they seem to be avoid moving the camera without time moving as well. I was expecting bullet-time!
High-speed imaging of light pulses
Photons certainly appear to have a real physical location with 1e9 FPS imaging capabilities: "Visualizing video at the speed of light — one trillion frames per second" (2012) this video But is there an identity function for a photon(s), and is "time-polarization" necessary for defining an identity function for photons?
“Video with explanation.”
Video explaining 1.7 ps exposure imaging
It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, but I'm reminded of the ~10^12 fps (1.7 ps exposures) demonstrated in work at MIT[0], which was for a completely different application. [0] link EDIT: Video with explanation. this video
“The original MIT video from 2011”
Original MIT video that inspired the project
The original MIT video from 2011: "Visualizing video at the speed of light — one trillion frames per second" this video (project site: link ) He mentions this as the inspiration in his previous video ( link ).
Earlier trillion-fps MIT work
"Visualizing video at the speed of light — one trillion frames per second" (2011; MIT) this video "Single-shot real-time femtosecond imaging of temporal focusing" (2018) link "Filming the Speed of Light at 10 Trillion FPS" (2019; The Slow Mo Guys) link
