Hologram: See the light

Fred Unterseher and Rebecca Deem, Holographic Artists, Santa Fe, New Mexico
 

We have gotten used to holograms, since they are used in books and movies, and they can be found in your very own pocket if you carry a charge card. But the magic of the hologram continues to convey wonder and even mystery.
 
This Café Scientifique presentation is about how light, lasers, and the hologram come together to give us a better understanding of the way we experience the world, especially visually. We will go through a series of explanations that are intended to develop an understanding of the nature of light, the way light interacts with objects, vision with one eye and in stereo, and the differences between photography and holography. There will be a series of hands-on experiences that directly involve the use of different lights, lasers, optics, diffraction gratings, and more. By examining the nature of light and the process of visual perception with many of our innate perceptual illusions, we may end up questioning if we see objects at all.
 
With a more integrated sense of what takes place as we see and experience the world, we will get a better understanding of holography itself. In closing we will see some digital holograms and discuss some of the ways holograms can be used for both optical elements as optics or digital hardcopy, integrating computation and computer graphics.
 
If you think that some of the numerous holo-gadgets on YouTube or that the CNN broadcast during the recent presidential election are the real thing, then think again, because they are a far cry from holograms. So join us for an evening that may open your eyes to holography. Holograms are not just 3-D images onstickers and toothpaste packaging; they have a wide range of applications these days, such as:
 
Holographic computer memory storage system
Holographic microfiche for high density information storage
Holograms as "circuit elements" for optical computers
Erasable holograms for routine real-time non-destructive testing and inspection
Biomedical holograms are made inside live organs through optical fibers
Holographic optical elements (HOE) used as lenses, mirrors, gratings, e.g.:
      HOE bi-focal contact lenses
      CD players use holograms
      UPC Grocery store scanners use spinning holograms
      High resolution spectrometers use holographic gratings
Holographic interferometry in non-destructive testing that reveals structural faults
Anti-counterfeiting holograms on credit cards (some are erasable)
Banknotes – the Austrian 5000 Shilling is printed with a golden hologram of Mozart
Head-up display (HUD) holographic windshields installed in military aircraft
 
In this Cafe, you will have the hands-on opportunity to explore the characteristics of basic holograms and diffraction gratings and observe the interaction of lasers and holograms. For more information on holography and the associated science of photonics, electro-optics, lasers, and careers, please see http://spie.org/x22931.xml
 
Another source of information on holographic optical storage and digital holography is the National Science Foundation Project on Advanced Technological Education in Information Technology at IEEE Computer Society CS Library: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/ITCC.2003.1197491
 

Contact our speaker. Remember to include your email address if you want a response.