Images from the fibre optic cable – light finding new paths

Shaping light and making the invisible visible

What does the inside of a living body look like, without having to cut it open? The Holographic Endoscopy research group is working on a technology that could one day make exactly that possible: tiny, flexible endoscopes based on extremely thin optical fibres, which can be used to examine even the smallest structures, right down to individual cells. To achieve this, the researchers are using sophisticated methods to direct light precisely through the fibres, thereby generating high-resolution images.

At the Long Night of Science, you can experience for yourself how this fascinating light control works. Using a demonstrator, light is guided through a multimode fibre in such a way that images appear on a small surface at the other end. And you might even be able to get creative yourself: if the technology allows it, you can create your own drawings on a computer and then project them through the fibre. This brings modern photonics to life and shows how controlling light can open up new possibilities for medical imaging.