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If you are someone who is worried about your privacy and you like to keep things to yourself, the world you live in is getting more difficult every day. Obviously, the major social media networks are gathering endless amounts of information on all users and selling it to other companies to help with marketing. Then there are governments who are monitoring your online activity, tracking you on GPS, and in some cases, even listening in on your phone calls.
It seems almost impossible to keep anything to yourself these days unless you are sitting in a remote area reading a physical book or writing a letter with pen and paper. Then your actions are private, right?
Maybe, but not for long. Scientists have developed a new laser device that is able to read small letters from over a kilometer (nearly a mile) away. The letters it can read can be as small as just a millimeter wide.
The applications for spies are obvious.
This laser system was developed by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China and their international colleagues. The process they used is known as active intensity interferometry (AII). This is not a new method of using lasers, however. It has been used in physics and astronomy for quite some time to measure very small angular distances. This is done by analyzing the correlation of intensities of light from various detectors.
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The team that worked on this was able to take the existing technology to a new level by creating a new interferometer setup that is able to overcome the previous limitations found in conventional limiting. Previously, this type of thing would have had to have a clear line of sight without obstructions, and a very clear lens. This new system, however, uses 8-phase-independent laser emitters to make a pseudothermal illumination.
That is just a fancy way to say that they can get a very clear image even in less-than-ideal conditions. For example, this system can see through many types of atmospheric obstacles, including clouds, fog, dust in the air, and more.
By having two or more of these telescopes record the reflected intensity while the team can adjust the light properties based on the actual conditions of the area, it is possible to clearly see things that would have previously been impossible.
The device has already been tested by the team. The test had the letters “USTC” carved out of a blackened aluminum sheet, which was then covered in retroreflective sheeting. The target was placed more than a kilometer away, and the system was aimed at it.
They were able to successfully see the letters when they were at a millimeter scale and at a distance of 1.36 kilometers. Not only that, but the test was done in what was described as a built-up outdoor environment, meaning that the conditions were not ideal.
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Compared to the abilities of a traditional telescope used for this type of thing, the results are almost off the charts. This tool achieved a resolution of 3 millimeters, compared to a resolution of 42.5 millimeters for the traditional telescope.
Further fine-tuning and adjustments will undoubtedly make it possible for this type of device to accurately see even further, making it a powerful tool for surveillance, espionage, remote sensing, and much more.
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