from EurekaAlert!
From top quarks to the blues
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This must surely qualify as a worthy and ingenious use of imaging research which normally is employed in the study of sub-atomic physics. By using a non-contact method of mapping the surface typography of a mechanically recorded surface - such as a vinyl record or even those very early sound cylinders - no damage will be done to these fragile objects in the process of extracting sound from these old recording media. Subsequently, software algorithms are then applied to these surface mappings to digitally decode and translate them into actual sounds, which can then be recorded digitally in order to be preserved.