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Physics

Quantum camera takes images of objects that haven’t been hit by light

A device uses quantum effects to create images of objects from light that never actually touched them

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

4 January 2023

The device uses a maze of components and a laser

Shining laser light through a maze of crystals lets a quantum camera make images of unseen objects

Mike_shots/Shutterstock

A quantum camera can take images using light that has never actually illuminated the subject. It could be useful for imaging particularly fragile tissues and materials.

Conventional cameras capture the light that bounces off objects to create images. Consequently, dimly lit objects that are only in contact with a few light particles end up blurry. Xiaosong Ma at Nanjing University in China and his colleagues have now built a device that can utilise light that doesn’t ever touch the object.…

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