Holography

Abstract

Holograms are capable of storing and displaying the optical waves scattered by an object wholly in a way that is completely unique from photographs which are, at best, accurate but flat projections. A hologram is essentially an interferometric, record of a wavefront so that the whole character of the wave, its amplitude, and phase, is captured. This article describes the fundamentals of optical holography, beginning with a discussion of the holographic principle and concluding with descriptions of important applications in the areas of displays, interferometry, data storage, and information processing. The large variety of hologram formats, materials, and techniques available to the holographer is explored in some detail with mathematical expressions that model the optical behavior of specific types of holograms given whenever appropriate.