4 ms·

I'm wondering could you sort of use thermal paper directly with a lens and a long enough exposure to directly create an image on thermal paper?

goldenkey 8y ago
Holography does this though with much stronger lights than regularly experienced. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography Why not just take this idea to its analog completion - does an analog light amplifier exist? Some google searching says the answer is nay. I guess analog amplification of electricity is a lot simpler than light because of quantum effects. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105123047.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105123047.h...
- tigershark 8y ago
  Of course it does exist. It’s a “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation” device better known as laser. Although it can’t be used to amplify the light field in its entirety.
  - skykooler 8y ago
    What if you had an array of pixel-sized lasers?
    - tigershark 8y ago
      A laser can amplify only a very specific frequency and it will lose all the color information. At that point it won’t be analog light amplification given that the output light won’t have any of the characteristics of the input.
  - goldenkey 8y ago
    I know about lasers. I meant the entire waveform. Vacuum tubes do that for electricity. It seems the only similar method is to use a lens, a smaller sensor, and hopefully the initial light is bright enough so when it's miniaturized, it does the chemical/electrical work necessary on the film or sensor. Film negatives already uses this concept - taking ordinary light and increasing its power by minifying it over a smaller surface area.
michrassena 8y ago
Does thermal paper darken if left in the sun? If not, I don't see how a projected image will be hot enough to burn an image. Even if it warms up the paper, the process has to happen fast enough that the heat isn't conducted to the surrounded area first. Maybe you could make a solargraph with thermal paper, where the sun burns a path over many days. Typical photographic paper (developed in the darkroom) or direct positive paper is better suited to what you're suggesting.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
pjc50 8y ago
Well, with the right chemistry you could expose an image directly onto a piece of paper and embed the exposure fixing chemicals on the edge such that a roller would automatically apply them to the paper...

goldenkey 8y ago

Holography does this though with much stronger lights than regularly experienced. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography Why not just take this idea to its analog completion - does an analog light amplifier exist? Some google searching says the answer is nay. I guess analog amplification of electricity is a lot simpler than light because of quantum effects. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105123047.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105123047.h...

tigershark 8y ago
Of course it does exist. It’s a “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation” device better known as laser. Although it can’t be used to amplify the light field in its entirety.
- skykooler 8y ago
  What if you had an array of pixel-sized lasers?
  - tigershark 8y ago
    A laser can amplify only a very specific frequency and it will lose all the color information. At that point it won’t be analog light amplification given that the output light won’t have any of the characteristics of the input.
- goldenkey 8y ago
  I know about lasers. I meant the entire waveform. Vacuum tubes do that for electricity. It seems the only similar method is to use a lens, a smaller sensor, and hopefully the initial light is bright enough so when it's miniaturized, it does the chemical/electrical work necessary on the film or sensor. Film negatives already uses this concept - taking ordinary light and increasing its power by minifying it over a smaller surface area.

michrassena 8y ago

Does thermal paper darken if left in the sun? If not, I don't see how a projected image will be hot enough to burn an image. Even if it warms up the paper, the process has to happen fast enough that the heat isn't conducted to the surrounded area first. Maybe you could make a solargraph with thermal paper, where the sun burns a path over many days. Typical photographic paper (developed in the darkroom) or direct positive paper is better suited to what you're suggesting.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

pjc50 8y ago

Well, with the right chemistry you could expose an image directly onto a piece of paper and embed the exposure fixing chemicals on the edge such that a roller would automatically apply them to the paper...