# Talbot Carpet Self-Imaging Explorer — Light That Copies Itself

A grating illuminated by a plane wave re-images itself in free space — no lenses — every Talbot distance z_T = 2d²/λ. Drag the cursor through the x–z carpet, catch the half-period shift at z_T/2 and the doubled stripes at z_T/4, then break the perfection with white light.

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/visualizations/talbot-carpet-self-imaging

- **Category:** Physics

## Overview

A grating illuminated by a plane wave re-images itself in free space — no lenses — every Talbot distance z_T = 2d²/λ. Drag the cursor through the x–z carpet, catch the half-period shift at z_T/2 and the doubled stripes at z_T/4, then break the perfection with white light.

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