Visualizing Light over an Apple-ish looking Tomato w a Trillion Frames Per Sec Camera
 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9RbLLYCiyGE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Video of a fruit illuminated by a femtosecond laser pulse and captured at an effective trillion frames per second. Light moves less than 1 mm per frame.

We have built an imaging solution that allows us to visualize propagation of light at an effective rate of one trillion frames per second. Direct recording of light at such a frame rate with sufficient brightness is nearly impossible. We use an indirect 'stroboscopic' method that combines millions of repeated measurements by careful scanning in time and viewpoints.

The device has been developed by the MIT Media Lab's Camera Culture group in collaboration with Bawendi Lab in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. A laser pulse that lasts less than one trillionth of a second is used as a flash and the light returning from the scene is collected by a camera at a rate equivalent to roughly 1 trillion frames per second. However, due to very short exposure times (roughly one trillionth of a second) and a narrow field of view of the camera, the video is captured over several minutes by repeated and periodic sampling.

For more info visit

http://raskar.info/trillionfps
http://femtophoto.info

1. WTF did I just watch?

2. That's a Tomato.

Okay. Watched the entire clip. A couple of things ...

1) How does this help us develop time travel?

2) Did they use government grant money for this?

FAX

Okay when does the tomato turn into an apple?

I'm watching on an Apple monitor. Does that help?

Haha... I actually was looking at the light and the speed of it... and never really paid attention to the actual tomato/apple. heh

So the tomato never turns into an apple from the weird light? That is very disappointing....................................................................................... .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... ...............................Thread FAIL!

I think it would have been cooler if they had used a dancing tomato.

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I don't get it. Is this what happens when you open the door to a dark room that contains a tomato?

Yeah. And it only cost 2 million dollars.

I told them I would shine a flashlight on a tomato for a lot less, but they said this would be tons better.

FAX

That was riveting. Now I want some apples.

Is my mind becoming shallow, or am I right to be disappointed that some internet meme didn't jump out of the tomato?

Boredom sets in with no head coach

Being a scientist is the best job ever.

All you do is write grant requests and then spend the money on wacky stuff and experiment things. Like, for example, you could receive grant money to do a study on the effects of fresh, hot, homemade pie on the reproductive cycles of nubile women.

In fact, now that I think about it ... I'll see you guys in a few months.

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