Diffraction properties of a reflection photorefractive hologram

Diffraction properties of a photorefractive hologram have been described previously in most cases with Kogelnik's uncoupled-recording-wave-theory, which was originally derived for nonphotorefractive holograms. Despite its simplicity and good approximation, the theory has shown its practical limitations and discrepancies when the refractive-index perturbation is large. We study the diffraction properties of a reflection photorefractive hologram using a coupled-recording-wave approach. A closed-form expression for the diffraction efficiency is obtained. The important aspect of the new formula is that it predicts a lower cross-talk noise (or, a higher wavelength sensitivity) than Kogelnik's formula. This offers an explanation for the apodization phenomenon (i.e., lower cross-talk noise from the experiment as compared with the analytical result) as found by Rakuljic et al. [Opt. Lett. 17, 1471-1473 (1992)].     

Lensless anamorphic Fourier transform hologram recorded with prism systems

A novel configuration for recording a lensless anamorphic Fourier transform hologram of a given object's light distribution is proposed. The method is based on the use of prism anamorphic optical systems coupled with phase cancellation at the hologram plane. Anamorphic systems with cylindrical lenses and prisms are critically evaluated through computer simulations for their suitability in anamorphic Fourier transform holographic configurations. A complete theoretical analysis and experimental demonstration of the recording and reconstruction of a lensless anamorphic Fourier transform hologram are presented.     

Modified Fresnel computer-generated hologram directly recorded by multiple-viewpoint projections

An efficient method for obtaining modified Fresnel holograms of real existing three-dimensional (3-D) scenes illuminated by incoherent white light is presented. To calculate the hologram, the method uses multiple-viewpoint projections of the 3-D scene. However, contrary to other similar methods, this one is able to calculate the Fresnel hologram of the 3-D scene directly rather than calculating a Fourier hologram first. This significantly decreases the amount of calculations needed to obtain the hologram and also reduces the reconstruction errors. The proposed method is first mathematically introduced and then demonstrated by both simulations and experiments.     

Volume-phase reflection holograms: The effect of hologram thickness on image luminance

A quantitative analysis of the effect of the thickness of the recording medium on the luminance of the image reconstructed by a volume phase reflection hologram is presented. It is shown that the highest image luminance can be obtained with relatively thin recording media.     

Mirror hologram recording with a phase-change medium

We propose mirror hologram recording with a phase-change material, which has a large refractive-index difference between its amorphous and crystalline states. It offers excellent diffraction efficiency and is erasable and nonvolatile. We designed an optimum multilayer structure for high diffraction efficiency by simulating the effect of each film thickness on diffraction efficiency. Experiments with a germanium tellurium alloy as the phase-change material show a high diffraction efficiency close to the calculated value. This medium can also be used for directly drawing computer-generated holograms. Lee-type computer-generated holograms were drawn on this medium with optical-disk technology.     

Full characterization of holographic reflection gratings recorded on BB640 emulsions

A complete characterization of unslanted holographic reflection gratings with high diffraction efficiency recorded on ultrafine grain emulsion BB640 has been achieved. By use of a wavelength-dependent absorption coefficient, the diffraction efficiency, the replay wavelength, and the spectral bandwidth of each recording has been obtained. Corresponding index modulation, absorption, and effective thickness have been obtained with high accuracy by fitting the experimental data with Kogelnik's theory.     

Rainbow holography with a synthesized double slit

Rainbow holography with a synthesized double slit is proposed. Diffuse three-dimensional objects are translated uniformly in the x(0)-y(0) plane. The propagation direction of the coherent plane wave illuminating the objects is situated in the x(0)-z(0) plane. As a result of this process, a sinc function that modulates the complex-amplitude distribution of the objects is presented on the back focal plane of the lens, and the synthesized slit is formed. The central position of the synthesized slit depends on both the direction of motion of the object and the spatial frequency of the illuminating wave in the x(0) direction. Therefore the synthesized double slit is generated with a two-exposure method that has two illuminating waves of different spatial frequencies. The theoretical analysis and some experimental results are presented.     

Precise focal-length measurement technique with a reflective Fresnel-zone hologram

A new technique for precise focal-length measurement with a hologram is presented. This technique is widely applicable and is particularly useful for measuring large, slow lenses. In diffraction, the Fresnel-zone plate hologram emulates the reflective properties of a convex spherical mirror for use during transmission null tests of an optic by use of a phase-shifting interferometer. The hologram is written lithographically and therefore offers a higher degree of precision at a lower cost than its spherical mirror counterpart. A hologram offers the additional benefit of easy characterization by use of the same interferometer employed in examining the test optic. Better than +/-0.01% precision is achieved during measurement of a 9-m focal-length lens by use of a 150-mm aperture interferometer.     

Three-dimensional display of a horizontal-parallax-only hologram

We propose a three-dimensional (3D) holographic display by converting an optically recorded complex full-parallax (FP) hologram to an off-axis horizontal-parallax-only (HPO) hologram. First, we record the complex FP hologram of an object using optical scanning holography. We then convert the complex FP hologram to an off-axis HPO hologram through fringe-matched Gaussian low-pass filtering and with the introduction of an off-axis reference. Finally, we reconstruct the off-axis HPO hologram optically using an amplitude-only spatial light modulator. Until now, only computer-generated HPO holograms have been displayed optically. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a 3D display of an optically recorded HPO hologram.     

Resolution enhancement in standing-wave total internal reflection microscopy: a point-spread-function engineering approach.

The theoretical basis for resolution enhancement in standing-wave total internal reflection microscopy (SW-TIRM) is examined. This technique relies on the formation of an excitation field containing super-diffraction-limited spatial-frequency components. Although the fluorescence generated at the object planes contains high-frequency information of the object distribution, this information is lost at the image plane, where the detection optics acts as a low-pass filter. From the perspective of point-spread-function (PSF) engineering, one can show that if this excitation field is translatable experimentally, the high-frequency information can be extracted from a set of images where the excitation fields have different displacement vectors. We have developed algorithms to combine this image set to generate a composite image with an effective PSF that is equal to the product of the excitation field and the Fraunhofer PSF. This approach can easily be extended to incorporate nonlinear excitation modalities into SW-TIRM for further resolution improvement. We theoretically examine high-resolution imaging based on the addition of two-photon, pump-probe, and stimulated-emission depletion methods to SW-TIRM and show that resolution better than 1/20 of the emission wavelength may be achievable.     

Hypersensitization in reflection holograms recorded in Agfa-Gevaert 8E75HD plates

Abstract

We study the effect of the hypersensitization with sodium sulphite in Agfa-Gevaert 8E75HD holographic plates in reflection holograms. An enhancement of energetic sensitivity and diffraction efficiency is observed with low solvent effects when Agfa-Gevaert 8E75HD are pre-processed. A 2–5 times increase of the sensitivity, together with temporal stability, is observed in reflection holograms.     

Subwavelength focusing using a hyperbolic medium with a single slit

A hyperbolic dispersion medium with a planar surface that can be used for subwavelength focusing is proposed. By combining the hyperbolic medium in a single slit with diffraction limit width, a laser beam could be focused to a subwavelength spot in the near field. Compared to a conventional superlens, the subdiffraction focusing in this work has higher optical throughput. Using a planar hyperbolic medium, which is actually alternating silver/dielectric multilayers, we showed that the focusing resolution of the designed device is down to ~λ/5 using green light illumination (at a wavelength of 514.5 nm).     

Rainbow holography of a diffuse three-dimensional object with a synthetic slit

Abstract

A study of rainbow holography with a movable synthetic slit in three-dimensional (3D) space is presented. A diffuse 3D object and an imaging lens are translated uniformly along the same direction with different (or identical) speeds in the X-Y plane. The spatial frequencies of the coherent wave illuminating the object are α, 0 and γ. As a result, the synthetic slit in rainbow holography is presented at a position which depends on the translational direction of the object and the imaging lens, their relative speeds, the spatial frequency of the illuminating wave in the X ₀ direction, and the relative distance of the reference source and the reconstruction source from the holographic plate. Theoretical analysis and some experimental results are presented.     

Asphere testing with a Fizeau interferometer based on a combined computer-generated hologram

Fizeau interferometers with an additional diffractive optical element are frequently used for measuring spherical and aspherical surfaces. We present a new (to our knowledge) optical test method, in which the Fizeau principle is now perfectly fulfilled by generating reference and measuring wavefront on the last optical surface, which carries a diffractive optical element. This method has been examined experimentally by testing a reference f/0.68 spherical mirror and can be applied identically for testing aspheres. Several advantages of this method are discussed and proved experimentally.     

Multiplexed computer-generated hologram with polygonal apertures

A novel type of multiplexed computer-generated hologram (CGH) is designed with more than one billion of pixels per period. It consists of elementary cells divided into arbitrary-shaped polygonal apertures, the division being identical in all cells. The cells are further digitized into pixel arrays to exploit the huge space-bandwidth product of electron-beam lithography. The polygonal apertures in the same location inside the cells constitute a subhologram. With the Abbe transform that has never, to our knowledge, been used in other CGH designs, the subhologram images (subimages) are obtained with fast Fourier transforms. It is therefore possible to design a multiplexed CGH that has a size thousands of times larger than the manageable size of a conventional CGH designed with the iterative Fourier transform algorithm (IFTA). A much larger object window than that of the conventional CGH can also be achieved with the multiplexed polygonal-aperture CGH, owing to its extremely large dimensions. The multiplexed polygonal-aperture CGH is designed with the novel iterative subhologram design algorithm, which considers the coherent summation of the subimages and applies constraints on the total image, subimages, and subholograms. As a result, the noise appearing in the preceding multiplexed-CGH designs is avoided. The multiplexed polygonal-aperture CGH has a much higher diffraction efficiency than that resulting from either the preceding multiplexed-CGH designs or the conventional CGH designed by the IFTA.     

Maximum information capacity of a three-dimensional hologram

This Letter is devoted to the problem of the maximum information capacity of a three-dimensional hologram with optimal utilization of the dynamic range of the storage medium. A hologram is treated as an object of information theory. Diffraction-limited holographic writing is analyzed on the basis of the reciprocal-lattice formalism. The calculation of the information capacity of the three-dimensional hologram is reduced to analysis of a set of multiplexed holograms each of which possesses a finite signal/noise ratio determined by the dynamic range of the holographic medium. The optimal number of pages which give the maximum information capacity with angular multiplexing is found. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 37–43 (September 26, 1997)