Chinese scientists have developed a new laser system that can clearly capture small details, such as millimeter text, from a distance of 1.36 kilometers, which is equivalent to approximately 14 soccer fields, thanks to a method called active intensity interferometry, as reported by the media .
“This laser -based image system could be very useful in various fields. For example, it could allow archaeologists to examine old engravings in non -climbing cliffs and help environmental researchers monitor distant wildlife habitats,” explained the same medium.
Telescopes and high -power lenses have difficulty counteracting air distortion, which blurs and disperses the light for long distances. This makes it almost impossible to distinguish small characteristics, such as printed text. However, the new approach surpasses these problems by focusing not on the image itself, but in how the light behaves when influencing and bouncing on a surface.
During the experiment, the authors of the study first pointed eight infrared laser rays to the distant goal. The light reflected in the objective was captured by two separate telescopes. These not only recorded an image, but traced how the intensity of light varied slightly from one moment to another.
After this, the researchers used computer algorithms to process changing patterns and reconstruct the fine details of the objective of the target, including tiny letters of only three millimeters high.
“Through outdoor experiments, we have obtained successful images of targets at the millimeter scale located 1.36 km away, achieving an improvement of the resolution of approximately 14 times on the limit of diffraction of a single telescope,” says the authors of the study.
Although active intensity interferometry seems “promising to obtain high -resolution optical sensors”, researchers point out that they must still overcome several limitations to achieve their true potential.
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