Femto-science/technology From femtosecond chemistry to attosecond physics Ultrafast data communications Ultrafast imaging Ever decreasing exposures

Imaging in the millisecond regime [Eadweard Muybridge –Galloping horse, 1887]

Flash photography- microsecond regime ‘Freezing’ of motion using short pulses of light - e.g. 1 microsecond xenon flashlight

Novel apple sauce! [Harold Edgerton, MIT, 1964]

Prompt imaging in the ultrafast regime Input diffuse snake-like ballistic snake-like ballistic diffuse Output An ultrashort laser pulse propagating through a scattering medium has ballistic, snake-like and diffuse components.

Images with femtosecond exposures! [Valdmanis et al, Michigan] Photograph of two crossed metal needles (0.5mm diameter) The needles viewed through a 6mm slab of raw chicken breast in ordinary illumination ‘Snapshot’ image of the needles using femtosecond illuminating and gating pulses

Imaging at terahertz frequencies Femtosecond laser pulse illumination of semiconductor switch Generation and propagation of terahertz radiation Spectroscopy & imaging using T-rays

T-ray image of packaged chip [Martin Nuss, AT&T Bell Labs] Plastic overlayer is transparent to T-rays Metal leads and silicon chip reflect or absorb T-rays 250 micron spatial resolution

Security-imaging with T-rays Left:Shoe imaged with a standard camera Middle:T-ray image reveals the presence of a ceramic blade and plastic explosives within the shoe Right: Removal of sole exposes the hidden items [Image: Teraview]

Imaging of skin cancer using T-rays