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Quantum Holography
Buzz Skyline writes "Physicists succeed where psychics fail. Researchers from Boston University propose a quantum holography system that can construct 3d images of objects sealed in closed containers. Could it lead to quantum luggage scanners at the airport?"
We could use it to verify that Bin Laden isn't hiding under a burka with out having to remove it.
As a physicist at the University of Ouagadougou, I have been following advances in quantum holography quite closely. While the concept behind the technology is sound, we don't yet have sufficiently advanced hardware to complete a working demonstration.
Holography of this sort requires relatively high powered lasers of varying wavelengths that can be precisely focused in threespace. This requires a liner actuator motor mounted to each laser that is far more sensitive than anything that exists today. S
uch a motor would need to have an imbedded flux capacitor that is capable of producing accurate movement as precise as 0.15 um. Equipment like this would be very expensive to manufacture and would be extremely sensitive to heat and vibration.
Until dilithium crystal lasers become more widespread, I don't see holography taking off outside of a few well funded universities.
"Technically, a cat locked in a box may be alive or dead." -Kurt Cobain
This technology could change everything. Rather than giving law enforcement officers the right to search and harass individuals who fit a "profile" (which, by itself, tends to favor searching Arab and other Middle Eastern types), the government could instead mandate the use of a holographic device such as the one described in this article. The advantages of this approach is that it is not invasive (people will not be embarrassed or inconvenienced by needless searches) and that it would be more effective because it could quickly be used to scan, say, every bag or container in an airport.
This sort of device would also render body cavity searches obsolete. Rather than training LEOs to probe peoples' orifices in a vain attempt to find drugs or weapons, people could be seamlessly screened as they enter "sensitive" buildings. These devices would do for terrorism what store security cameras did for shoplifting: nearly stop it dead in its tracks.
I, for one, would rather see law enforcement widely deploy these devices, rather than subject me to degrading searches. Certainly the majority of Americans feel the same way. We can have our cake and eat it too.
df
Forget detecting cancer and airport security. Imagine what this could do for voyeur pr0n! : P
And speaking of psychics, why do I know that the only people that'll read this post will be browsing at -1?
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I do not feel like carrots, but toast would be nice.
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Yeah, that's right... lick my crufty balls.