This visual illustration shows compressed spectral-temporal coherent modulation femtosecond imaging (CST-CMFI). A chirped laser pulse with time-varying spectral components illuminates a dynamic scene, enabling different wavelengths to capture successive temporal transients. By utilizing dispersion-encoded coherent modulation imaging, CST-CMFI retrieves both the intensity and phase evolutions. Credit: Yunhua Yao, East China Normal University Researchers have created a powerful new imaging method