A Brief Overview of

The Holographic Technology

Introduction:
Holography can be defined as a unique photographic technique which records
light scattered from a particular object and presents it in such a way that the
resultant image appears to be three-dimensional. Over the years, many different
kinds of holograms have been created for use in different fields, such as the
reflection ones which are used primarily for security reasons on drivers license,
credit cards, etc. On the other hand, transmission holograms enable laser light to
pass through them, so that the image can be viewed easily from the side. They
are two-dimensional surfaces which show 3D images of real life objects. One
does not even require to wear specially designed glasses for viewing them
properly.
Holograms have many different traits which are quite surprising as well as
utilitarian. For example, they can be viewed from different perspectives just like
real objects. Some can even appear to be moving when an individual walks past
them and views them from distinct angles. Still others are capable of changing
colours and incorporating views from entire different objects, but that depends
on how a person is looking at them.
If a hologram is cut into two halves, each of them contains entire views of the
whole holographic image. Same is true even for a tiny fragment cut from a
whole image. In addition to that, the hologram of any magnifying glass is
capable of magnifying other objects just like the real thing.

How Is A Hologram Made?

Making a simple hologram does not involve the usage of too many tools. The
main items required are a laser,
lenses , a beam splitter, mirrors
and holographic rear projection
film. In general, the laser points at
the beam splitter which results in
division of the light into two equal
parts. Mirrors are used for
directing the path of the two
equally light rays so that they pass
through the lenses. One of the rays
is made to fall on the object and
get reflected from it onto the
projection film. The other beam
(also known as reference beam)
hits the film without suffering any
reflection.

Difference Between Reflection and Transmission Holograms :

Reflection holograms are generally mass-produced by a stamping method, and

they can be made almost as elaborate as their transmission counterparts.
However, the former types are often denser than the latter. They have excess
physical space in order to record interference fringes, which means that they
consist of more reflective surface layers where the light can hit. As light enters
the very first layer, a part of it gets reflected towards the source of the light
while the remaining part penetrates into the second layer. Thus, the light from
every layer intersects with that in the layers on top of it. This unique
phenomenon is called the Bragg effect, a very important aspect involved in
reconstruction of object beam in the reflection holograms.

Some Key Traits of The Bragg Effect

In addition to reconstructing the object beam, the Bragg effect can also do
several other things. It is capable of altering the way holograms generally
reflect light, especially those which can be viewed in white light. It is one of the
primary reasons why a novelty hologram appears greener even when created
using a red laser. Besides that, the Bragg effect works distinctly for distinct
wavelengths of visible light when viewed from different angles.

Holograms and The Light

In order to comprehend the formation of interference fringes on rear projection
film, it is important to know a few things about the visible light. First of all,
light consists of high frequency magnetic and electrical waves travelling in a
straight line and blocked only by obstacles. The obstacles are generally objects
which can either reflect or absorb light. Reflections from entirely smooth
surfaces are mirror-like or specular, while those from rough or uneven surfaces
are scattered or diffused.

Normally, white light consists of all the different light frequencies travelling in
all directions. On the other hand, laser light is monochromatic in nature - it is of
one colour and one wavelength. When a laser is turned on and exposed onto a
holographic plate after being directed through the diverging lenses, the two
intersecting beams form a pattern of hyperboloids. The plate captures a crosssection of the hyperboloids, but the microscopic interference fringes formed
cannot be understood by the human eye. It is when monochrome light is made
to pass through the image that a viewer can see a clear 3D image.
Irrespective of whether the interference fringes are clear or dark, they reflect
some portion of the light. Since each one of them behaves like a microscopic
curved mirror, they follow the universal laws of reflection. Therefore, it can be
said that light creates a hologram in a way similar to that of the formation of a
virtual image behind a plane mirror.

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