Although our view reaches infinity when looking at the sky, when reading a text, it is limited and the maximum distance to which we can be from a book to read it, provided we have 10/10, it does not pass from 7 meters. Now, A new device, recently developed by Chinese scientists, exceeds our gaze: it is able to scan tiny individual text characters at a distance of 1.36 kilometers.
The technique (known as intensity interferometry) adopts an image approach different from that of conventional cameras: Instead of directly measuring the light waves, these devices measure how light is reflected and interferes with itselfand Then compile an image from that data.
A new study, published in Physical Review Letters and led by scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China, Describe an instrument that emits eight infrared laser rays aimed at a specific point in the distance.
Subsequently, two telescopes were used to capture the intensity of light reflexes. Through careful calibration of the eight laser rays that illuminate the objective, The image can be rebuilt by comparing the variations between the readings of the two telescopes.
“Through outdoor experiments, we have obtained successful images of objectives at millimetric scale located 1.36 km away, achieving an improvement in the Resolution of approximately 14 times above a single telescope diffraction limit”, Says the study.
Long -range cameras such as this have uses in various areas, from space telescopes to remote sensors, and The method used allows managing atmospheric turbulence and imperfections in chamber configuration.
Thanks to the configuration described in your new study, researchers They were able to read letters with precision at a 3 mm resolution. Using only one of the telescopes deployed here, at the same distance, a resolution of 42 mm would have been obtained. This represents a great improvement and demonstrates the potential of intensity interferometry.
Initially used in space observatories, we now see that this technology can also serve on Earth, especially in advanced physics experiments. Previously, this approach It has been used to detect very bright distant stars or closer objects illuminated by a nearby sourceso it is a novel advance.
The way in which photons of light are grouped and can be interpreted through this technology is, in reality, An unpredictable quantum effect for conventional physics, and that is one of the crucial aspects of high resolution in this case.
According to the authors, it is possible to make more improvements in the control of infrared laser lights. There is also the possibility of Add AI algorithms to interpret specific texts and forms with greater precision.