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Thread: Parabola with laser beams?

  1. #1
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    Default Parabola with laser beams?

    I can't figure out what's going on here, but I think it might be this. I've never seen that kind of photographic artifact when looking at pictures of lasers before, but it's so cool looking!

    Anybody know for sure what's happening, or has anyone seen it before? If so, link me to pictures of more
    Neat!

  2. #2
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    Rolling shutter. Depending on the camera, it can happen with video, too.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by CountFunkula View Post
    Rolling shutter. Depending on the camera, it can happen with video, too.
    That's what I thought, thanks for confirming I'm wondering if anyone has ever made photographic art with laser beams by exploiting that effect.. Hmmm...
    Neat!

  4. #4
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    If you look here, you can see the exact same effect:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A mid air curved line with laser isn't possible because of the speed of the light - you simply can't modulate it off fast enough to give anything other than a straight line.

  5. #5
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    Technically, you *could* make a curved line, assuming you were in close proximity to a large gravity well (a nearby black hole would do nicely). A beam of light can be bent into a curve when forced to pass near a large object, as gravity (at high enough levels) will bend spacetime and alter the light's path, forming a curve.

    Impractical? yes. But possible.

    However, the effect in the picture above would not require the light to travel in a curve. It would only require insanely fast modulation. (The beams are still straight. It's the dead-space between the lines that appears curved.) However, even if you could modulate the light fast enough, you'd still never be able to photograph the effect.

    Adam

  6. #6
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    Opinion: You can modulate it fast enough, you just can't see it, or calculate it by proxy, or study its consequences instead

    Fact: Beams curve as they fly over my wallet. So, it is safe to assume there is a black hole inside it
    "its called character briggs..."

  7. #7
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    I'd be pretty surprised if you could modulate it fast enough tbh.

    The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second.

    To get a mid air parabola therefore, you'd have to modulate it faster than the speed of light. I couldn't guess what that translates to in terms of response time, but suffice to say that physical signal in electronics of the electrons travelling down the wire to the components is slower than the speed of the light across the room, then there's the component response time. So it's almost certain when you modulated it off, the light in the room would have completely gone before the signal could reach the lasers to modulate it back on, leaving you with an "off / on" effect rather than a parabola.

    You certainly couldn't see it either way, which is a shame as the parabola effect is really cool.
    Last edited by White-Light; 04-29-2014 at 00:20.

  8. #8
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by LaNeK779 View Post
    Fact: Beams curve as they fly over my wallet. So, it is safe to assume there is a black hole inside it
    I hear that Brad has the same problem.

    In fairness though, I think all of us have a tiny black hole in our wallets. It's a consequence of being a laser enthusiast...

    Adam

  10. #10
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    a trip down memory lane, reaching deep to find a post from 2011 and maybe the quote of the century from Norty303

    "the financial devotion to lasers is starting to manifest in the condition of my socks "

    EPIC!!!!

    http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...114#post180114

    "its called character briggs..."

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