Scientists from The John Hopkins University and Ben Gurion University of the Negev have discovered a new technology - FINCH (fresnel incoherent correlation holography) that could have implications in medical applications like endoscopy, CT scanning, ophthalmology, X-ray imaging and ultrasound. It may also be used for homeland security screening, 3-D photography and 3-D video according to co-inventor Gary Brooker.

A report about this breakthrough technology will be in the March issue of Nature Photonics and on the Nature Photonics website.

The FINCH technology and FINCHSCOPE uses microscope objectives with the highest resolving power, a spatial light modulator, a charge-coupled device camera and some simple filters to allow for the acquisition of 3-D microscopic images without needing to scan multiple planes. Brooker said that with traditional 3-D imaging, you cannot capture a moving object, but with the FINCHSCOPE, you can photograph multiple planes at once, which allows capturing a 3-D image of a moving object. Researchers can now track biological events happening quickly in cells. For related articles see www.jhu.edu/~iicmcc/index.htm