Researchers Develop Ultrafast Imaging Technique

New method captures both intensity and phase changes in microscopic processes

Apr. 10, 2026 at 12:32am

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A highly textured, abstract painting in earthy tones of green, brown, and blue, featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circular patterns, and precise botanical or physical spirals, conceptually representing the complex structural order and dynamic forces at play in the microscopic world observed through the new ultrafast imaging method.An abstract visualization of the ultrafast microscopic processes captured by the new CST-CMFI imaging technique, revealing the intricate dance of light, energy, and matter at the quantum scale.Washington Today

Researchers have developed a new imaging technique called compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI) that can capture unprecedented detail and speed of ultrafast processes in the microscopic world. The technique allows scientists to observe and analyze a wide range of ultrafast phenomena, from plasma formation to carrier dynamics in materials, by recording both the brightness and internal structure changes in a single measurement.

Why it matters

This new imaging method offers scientists a powerful tool to study fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes that happen incredibly fast, on the scale of hundreds of femtoseconds. It could lead to advancements in high-power laser technologies, electronics, solar cells, and other applications by enabling a better understanding of how materials behave at ultrafast timescales.

The details

The CST-CMFI technique combines time-spectrum mapping, compressive spectral imaging, and coherent modulation imaging to capture both the intensity and phase changes of an object during ultrafast events. By using a chirped laser pulse, the researchers were able to encode time as wavelength, allowing them to reconstruct a sequence of frames from a single exposure that forms an ultrafast movie. The researchers demonstrated the technique by observing the formation of plasma in water and the carrier dynamics in ZnSe, showing that phase measurements can be more sensitive than intensity in detecting subtle ultrafast processes.

  • The new imaging technique was developed at the Extreme Optical Imaging Laboratory at East China Normal University.
  • The research was published in the journal Optica in April 2026.

The players

Yunhua Yao

Research team leader from East China Normal University who developed the new ultrafast imaging technique.

Optica Publishing Group

The publisher of the journal Optica, where the research was published.

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What they’re saying

“In the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and materials science, many important phenomena happen incredibly fast. 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.”

— Yunhua Yao, Research team leader, East China Normal University

“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. 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.”

— Yunhua Yao, Research team leader, East China Normal University

What’s next

The researchers plan to expand the application range of the new CST-CMFI method by using it to observe phenomena like interface dynamics and ultrafast phase transitions, which require detecting very small changes in the phase of light waves. They also aim to combine the principles of CST-CMFI with compressive ultrafast photography to develop an imaging method that resolves spectral and temporal information separately, further broadening the practical utility of the technology.

The takeaway

This new ultrafast imaging technique represents a significant advancement in the ability to observe and analyze fundamental microscopic processes that happen at incredibly fast timescales. By capturing both intensity and phase changes, it provides scientists with an unprecedented level of detail and insight, which could lead to breakthroughs in fields ranging from materials science and chemistry to biology and clean energy technology.