Researchers have recreated the Mona Lisa using a new holography technique.
This work was conducted by an international team of researchers from China and the United States, and their findings were published in Applied Physics Reviews.
The researchers used metasurface-based holography, a technique involving a deep-learning algorithm, to generate and refine a hologram of the Mona Lisa.
Holograms are images created by capturing and reconstructing the interference pattern of light or sound waves, used in fields such as entertainment, medical imaging and communication.
According to author Yue-Sheng Wang, metasurfaces are two-dimensional materials composed of tiny, antenna-like structures that help control the phase and amplitude of the waves interacting with the metasurface.
This control aids in the creation of the holographic image.
The team developed a metasurface optimisation method to improve the holographic process.
They used a deep neural network-based algorithm to adjust the antenna-like structures within the metasurface. By reducing discrepancies between the original and holographic image iteratively, they refined the metasurface, improving the hologram's quality.
The researchers used the Mona Lisa as a demonstration of their method's effectiveness, due to its universally recognised features and intricate layer transitions.
The method successfully reconstructed the Mona Lisa, including her left eye in significant detail.
The technique currently produces two-dimensional holograms, but the researchers suggest it could also be used for three-dimensional images.
The team's method allows precise control of sound waves, which they argue is vital for advancing non-invasive medical therapies, effective noise control, and optimising acoustic environments.
They believe that their technique could have significant implications for the field of holography and plan to improve its versatility, compatibility with 3D printing, and reduce the training time required.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
