THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 11, Number 2, 2005, pp. 233–235 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
PHOTOESSAY
The Dynamics of Life: Imaging Changing Patterns of Air Surrounding Material and Biological Systems with Dynamic Interferometry KATHERINE CREATH, Ph.D. (Optical Sciences), Ph.D. (Music), and GARY E. SCHWARTZ, Ph.D.
Optical path difference (OPD) maps of air patterns measured in a dynamic interferometer with different objects. Left: Empty cavity. Middle: Blast of canned air. Right: Candle flame. Brighter shades (white) are warmer air temperatures and darker shades (black) are cooler. All OPD maps are scaled to the same range.
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ll material systems are dynamic. From subatomic particles, through atoms, to molecules and biochemicals, processes express and create complex patterns of vibrations (cycles) over time. Living systems, as conventionally defined by biology, express complex dynamic patterns of vibration over large ranges of frequencies. The human body emits dynamic patterns of thermal radiation as well as electromagnetic radiation as part of basic metabolic processes. Cycles with time constants related to blood flow and respiration generate small bursts of thermal energy that create convective air currents we term “microbreezes.” Thermal variations caused by these microbreezes subtly modulate the refractive index of the air around the perimeter of these biologic systems. Subtle changes in the refractive index change the optical path length of rays of light by fractions of a wavelength of light. These subtle op-
tical path length variations can be measured using interferometry (Ciddor, 1996). With the development of high-speed computers and advanced imaging algorithms, it is possible to calculate and display moving images of dynamically changing refractive index variations over time using dynamic interferometry (DI) (Creath and Schwartz, 2004). Because Tucson, AZ, known as Optics Valley is home to the inventors of a novel DI (Millerd, 2003) we were able to explore the potential use of this technology to reveal the dynamics of air patterns surrounding material and biological systems. This technology was originally developed to measure tiny changes in the surface of telescope mirrors during the manufacturing process and later adapted for in situ measurements of air turbulence in telescope domes (Wyant, 2003).
Biofield Optics, LLC, Tucson, AZ.
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PHOTOESSAY
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FIG. 1. A. Screwdriver handle at room temperature. B. Screwdriver handle at body temperature. C. Human finger. All optical path difference maps are scaled the same as those on the previous page. Note “halo” around warm objects.
The system consists of a phase-measuring TwymanGreen interferometer with the ability to multiplex all necessary data onto a single charge coupled device (CCD) camera utilizing a specially designed holographic optical element. The multiplexed data are used to calculate the
relative optical path difference (OPD) between a reference path and an object test path in units of wavelengths of departure (Creath, 1988). Although absolute determinations of refractive index and temperature are not possible with this system, relative variations are measurable. The minimum
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FIG. 2. Consecutive optical path difference maps taken 0.1 sec apart of a human finger (A, B, C) and a screwdriver handle at body temperature (D, E, F). Lines indicate areas of equal optical path, as in a topographic map. Note there are more dynamic variations in the images of the finger than of the screwdriver handle.
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PHOTOESSSAY detectable variation is approximately 0.001 waves, corresponding to a refractive index change of roughly 1 part in 104 (Creath and Schwartz, 2004). This exquisite sensitivity enables measurement of the relative motion of air molecules in space. In the past, for most optical measurements using DI, the kind of signal we are looking for was usually considered noise. Instead, we have considered subtle dynamic changes in the air currents as signal, to be imaged. At this level of sensitivity noise sources must be carefully adjusted and accounted for. The images at the beginning of this Photoessay represent the mappings of the OPD of the dynamics of air under different conditions. The measurements are taken from single CCD frames (30 ms) and computer processed to determine OPD. To reduce the effects of optical elements in the system, a reference measurement consisting of an average of 30 single-frame measurements of an empty cavity has been subtracted from every subsequent measurement shown. All images are scaled from 0.05 to 0.05 waves OPD. The OPD map on the left shows the empty object cavity. Bright areas (white) are warmer than dark areas (black). The OPD map in the middle shows a blast from a can of canned air. Note that the turbulence is easily frozen in time and that the canned air is cooler than the background air. The OPD map on the right shows the effect of a candle flame below the object beam. The area heated by the candle flame is obviously brighter than the darker ambient air temperature. Figure 1A shows a screwdriver handle approximately 2 cm across at room temperature. These OPD maps are scaled the same as the OPD maps at the beginning of this Photoessay. The presence of the room temperature screwdriver handle does not appear to thermally affect the air path at all. However, when the screwdriver handle is warmed up to body temperature and placed in the beam, there is obviously a thermal gradient around it (Fig. 1B). Figure 1C shows the finger of the second author placed in the beam. Note that the thermal gradient around the finger is similar to that around the body temperature screwdriver handle. The differences between these two objects are mainly in the surrounding “halo.” Figure 2 displays three consecutive OPD maps of dynamic air patterns taken 0.1 sec apart surrounding the tip of a human finger (Figs. 2A, B, C) and a screwdriver handle at finger temperature (Figs. 2D, E, F). The OPD maps were further processed using ImageJ software (Rasband, rsb.info.nih. gov/ij) utilizing a lookup table to reveal structure and changes in structure over time. A number of distinctions can be seen in these figures. The screwdriver is more symmetric and static, while the finger is more asymmetric and dynamic. When displayed as a movie, the difference in dynamics reveals that the pattern around the finger pulsates approximately once per second, while the pattern around the screwdriver is relatively static. When displayed in pseudocolor, the OPD maps are dramatic and sometimes beautiful. They can reveal dynamic interactions between objects such as living systems.
We foresee that this technology can be used to study healers, disease, and many other applications within complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the biological sciences. Because this technology is expensive, requires advanced understanding in bio-optics, and is highly sensitive, it has not yet been available for applications in conventional medicine or CAM. However, its potential is clearly evident. We trust that future funding sources will have the vision and resources to make it possible to explore the use of this advanced technology to reveal the dynamics of life in health and healing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to thank 4D Technology, Inc. for the use of their PhaseCam interferometer and specialized software they created for this study. One of the authors (GES) is partially supported at the University of Arizona by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant P20 AT00774 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCCAM or NIH.
REFERENCES Ciddor PE. Refractive index of air: New equations for the visible and near infrared. Appl Optics 1996;35:1566–1573. Creath K. Phase-measurement interferometry techniques. In: Wolf E, ed. Progress in Optics, vol. 26. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 1988:349–393. Creath K, Schwartz GE. Dynamic visible interferometric measurement of thermal fields around living biological objects. In: Creath K, Schmit J, eds. Interferometry XII: Techniques and Analysis, vol. 5531. Bellingham, WA: SPIE, 2004:24–31. Millerd JEB, Brock NJ, Baer JW, Spuhler PT. Vibration insensitive, interferometric measurements of mirror surface figures under cryogenic conditions. In: EDO Atad-Ettedgui S., ed. Specialized Optical Developments in Astronomy, vol. 4842. Bellingham, WA: SPIE, 2003:242–249. Rasband WS. ImageJ: Image Processing and Analysis in Java. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Online document at: rsb.info.nih.gov/ij Accessed March 1, 2005. Wyant JC. Dynamic interferometry. Optics and Photonics News 2003;14:36–41.
Address reprint requests to: Katherine Creath, Ph.D, Ph.D. Biofield Optics, LLC 2247 East La Mirada Street Tucson, AZ 85719 E-mail:
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