This new camera captures what happens in a trillionth of a second
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This new camera captures what happens in a trillionth of a second
Scientists can now film the invisible—capturing ultrafast events in stunning detail for the first time.
Date:
April 21, 2026
Source:
Optica
Summary:
Scientists have unveiled a breakthrough imaging method that can capture the hidden details of events unfolding in trillionths of a second. This new technique doesn’t just track how bright something is—it also reveals subtle structural changes that were previously invisible, all in a single shot. By effectively turning ultrafast phenomena into detailed “movies,” researchers can now watch plasma form, electrons move, and materials transform in real time.
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This visual illustration shows compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI). A chirped laser pulse with time-varying spectral components illuminates a dynamic scene, enabling different wavelengths to capture successive temporal transients. By utilizing dispersion-encoded coherent modulation imaging, CST-CMFI retrieves both the intensity and phase evolutions. Credit: Yunhua Yao, East China Normal University
Researchers have created a powerful new imaging method that reveals far more detail about ultrafast events in the microscopic world than ever before. These processes unfold in incredibly short times, often within hundreds of femtoseconds, and have traditionally been difficult to study. The new approach allows scientists to observe and analyze these rapid changes with exceptional clarity and speed.
"In the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and materials science, many important phenomena happen incredibly fast," said research team leader Yunhua Yao from East China Normal University. "Our new technique can capture the complete evolution of both the brightness and internal structure of an object in a single measurement. This is a big step forward for understanding the fundamental nature of matter, designing new materials and even uncovering the mysteries of biological processes."
The team described their method in Optica, Optica Publishing Group's journal for high-impact research. The technique is known as compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI). Using this system, the researchers were able to track ultrafast activity such as plasma forming in water after a femtosecond laser pulse and the behavior of excited charge carriers in ZnSe.
"Beyond helping scientists study materials that change instantly in response to laser light, chemical reactions that rearrange atoms at lightning speed and the dynamic behavior of biomolecules over incredibly short timescales, CST-CMFI could help improve high-power laser technologies used for clean energy research, advanced manufacturing and scientific instrumentation," said Yao. "It might also lead to the development of more efficient electronics, improved solar cells and faster devices by enabling a better understanding of how materials behave at extremely fast timescales."
Capturing More Than Brightness in Ultrafast Imaging
This work is part of ongoing efforts at the Extreme Optical Imaging Laboratory at East China Normal University to advance ultrafast camera technologies. A key focus is single-shot ultrafast optical imaging, which captures events that cannot be repeated by recording everything in a single exposure, similar to snapping a single frame that contains an entire sequence.
In the past, these techniques mainly recorded changes in brightness, also known as light intensity. However, light also carries phase information, which reveals how it bends or changes speed as it passes through materials. The researchers set out to capture both intensity and phase at the same time, providing a more complete picture of ultrafast processes.
To achieve this, they combined time-spectrum mapping, compressive spectral imaging and coherent modulation imaging. Each method contributes a specific advantage, including the ability to follow extremely fast changes, gather more data in one measurement and preserve fine image details.
How the CST-CMFI Technique Works
The system uses a chirped laser pulse made up of multiple wavelengths that arrive at slightly different times. This setup effectively links time to wavelength. When the pulse interacts with a fast-changing event, the scattered light carries detailed spatial, spectral and phase information. This information is then compressed into a single image through dispersion-encoded coherent modulation imaging.
A physics-informed neural network processes this data by separating the wavelengths and reconstructing both intensity and phase over time. Since each wavelength represents a specific moment, the result is a sequence of frames that forms an ultrafast movie captured in a single shot.
Real-Time Views of Plasma and Electron Behavior
To test the technique, the researchers exam