Our technique allows us to recover information, in this case images, lost by classical cameras, photographs or microscopes, explains Professor Krzysztof Dobek from the Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Phisics, head of the research team.
So far, this has been possible partly by using a so-called split-field diopter, used in cinematography. Most of us were unaware of its use, for example in such well-known films as "Pulp Fiction" or "The Matrix". However, in contrast to this technique, which is well known to cinematographers, our solution allows us to select the object whose image is additionally sharpened, regardless of its position. In addition, we can track this object and, at the selected moment, switch off our solution, turning the lens of the camera/aparatus/microscope into a classic imaging system. This is something that no other solution makes possible.
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Classic cameras and camcorders capture a sharp image of subjects at a certain distance from the camera lens. This value can be changed, as can the range of distances, the so-called "depth of field", within which objects with acceptable sharpness are found. However, when the image is magnified, the depth of field is always limited and it is for this reason that objects at a greater distance from the central part of the image become blurred.
With plane imaging, invented at AMU, this limitation can be circumvented. The use of a special lens (thermal lens) allows the registration of an image with locally sharpened image of objects lying outside the range of the depth of field of the lens used! In addition, it is possible to select the object whose image will be additionally sharpened, regardless of its position.