How could you see an image without photons? (imaging systems)

[Maximum7]

What kind of imaging system could be used to see without photons? I ask because I was watching a video and the furthest we can see back is Redshift Z~1090 which is the CMB. We can’t see the universe before the first stars formed or the Big Bang itself. My first guess would be some kind of dark matter imaging system BUT there seems to be no trace of the axion so perhaps dark matter does not exist. Is there any way an advanced civilization could do this?

 

[Hornbein]

What kind of imaging system could be used to see without photons? I ask because I was watching a video and the furthest we can see back is Redshift Z~1090 which is the CMB. We can’t see the universe before the first stars formed or the Big Bang itself. My first guess would be some kind of dark matter imaging system BUT there seems to be no trace of the axion so perhaps dark matter does not exist. Is there any way an advanced civilization could do this?

There can still be gravity waves from before deionization.

 

[BillTre]

There are imaging systems that work without photons, but they won't do what you want with respect to seeing before CMB.
Electron microscopy
Atomic force microscopes
There are probably others.

I don't think gravitational wave technology is able to form images yet.

 

[berkeman]

What kind of imaging system could be used to see without photons?

What do you mean by "see"? Do you mean to record the image, or for a human to actually "see" the information? If the latter, there are ways to directly stimulate the visual cortex in the human brain; we're just not very skilled in doing that yet. And I see very detailed images when I'm dreaming, and no photons are directly involved in that...

 

[Maximum7]

What do you mean by "see"? Do you mean to record the image, or for a human to actually "see" the information? If the latter, there are ways to directly stimulate the visual cortex in the human brain; we're just not very skilled in doing that yet. And I see very detailed images when I'm dreaming, and no photons are directly involved in that...

Record an image

 

[berkeman]

Record an image

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/...nts_9a_baby_faces_220922_1920x1080-47a34q.jpg

 

[phinds]

And I see very detailed images when I'm dreaming, and no photons are directly involved in that...

Well, with you, Mike, it's hard to tell just WHAT might be involved.

 

[256bits]

There can still be gravity waves from before deionization.

And the neutrino background which happened before the CMB.

 

[Drakkith]

Any type of radiation, be it protons, electrons, neutrons, neutrinos, etc can be used to create an image if you have a way of mapping their original location at reflection/emission to their final location upon detection. Telescopes and other optical devices achieve this by focusing light using mirrors or lenses while electron microscopes do this using various methods that I won't go into. We also already have neutron imaging as well.

Just about any type of wave can be used for imaging too. Sound waves, gravitational waves, gravity waves (waves on the surface of water), etc. Again, all you need is some way to map the wave's location at various points at the target location to whatever you're using to 'image' with.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Any type of radiation, be it protons, electrons, neutrons, neutrinos, etc can be used to create an image if you have a way of mapping their original location at reflection/emission to their final location upon detection. Telescopes and other optical devices achieve this by focusing light using mirrors or lenses while electron microscopes do this using various methods that I won't go into. We also already have neutron imaging as well.

Just about any type of wave can be used for imaging too. Sound waves, gravitational waves, gravity waves (waves on the surface of water), etc. Again, all you need is some way to map the wave's location at various points at the target location to whatever you're using to 'image' with.

Neutrinos? That would be a good trick!