Holography (from the Greek, Όλος-holos whole + γραφή-graphe writing) is the science of producing holograms; it is an advanced form of photography that allows an image to be recorded in three dimensions. The technique of holography can also be used to optically store, retrieve, and process information. It is common to confuse volumetric displays with holograms, particularly in science-fiction works such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Red Dwarf, and Quantum Leap.

Overview

---

Holography was discovered over Easter, 1947 by Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor (1900–1979), for which he received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1971. The discovery was an unexpected result (or serendipity as Dennis would say) of research into improving electron microscopes at the British Thomson-Houston Company in Rugby, England. The British Thomson-Houston company filed a patent on 1947-12-17 (and received patent GB685286), but the field did not really advance until the discovery of the laser in 1960.

The first holograms which recorded 3D objects were made by Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks in Michigan, USA in 1963 and by Yuri Denisyuk in the Soviet Union.

There are several types of holograms which can be made. The very first holograms were "transmission holograms", which were viewed by shining laser light through them. A later refinement, the "rainbow transmission" hologram allowed viewing by white light and is commonly seen today on credit cards as a security feature and on product packaging. These versions of the rainbow transmission holograms are formed as surface relief patterns in a plastic film, and they incorporate a reflective aluminum coating which provides the light from "behind" to reconstruct their imagery. Another kind of common hologram (a Denisyuk hologram) is the true "white-light reflection hologram" which is made in such a way that the image is reconstructed naturally using light on the same side of the hologram as the viewer.

More on [ Holography ]

Holographic - Twitter Search

for .@cerebralpig, Cisco TelePresence - On-Stage Holographic Video Conferencing http://bit.ly/5hnRzW /Coolest thing ever.
wrighterly (Stephanie Wright) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:50:22 -0000
for .@cerebralpig, Cisco TelePresence - On-Stage Holographic Video Conferencing http://bit.ly/5hnRzW /Coolest thing ever.
@PeteScuff Wow! I didn't think anything would beat that holographic Jesus mouse mat I found, but you have proved me wrong.
emmamariesmith (Emma Smith) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:45:11 -0000
@PeteScuff Wow! I didn't think anything would beat that holographic Jesus mouse mat I found, but you have proved me wrong.
@stephenfry It is the first step towards holographic beings and truly interactive games.
Eternal (eternal) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:44:07 -0000
@stephenfry It is the first step towards holographic beings and truly interactive games.
holographic?...
SmiletilTheEnd (Katie Dodds) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:50:49 -0000
holographic?...
@AmeliasMagazine Thanks! I probably like holographic paper because I get lost in my own reflection like an arrogant canary.
paperCaves (chris cox) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:55:13 -0000
@AmeliasMagazine Thanks! I probably like holographic paper because I get lost in my own reflection like an arrogant canary.
@paperCaves has done a particularly stunning piece for the exhibition - he loves holographic paper possibly as much as I do. props to Chris!
AmeliasMagazine (Amelia's Magazine) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:51:18 -0000
@paperCaves has done a particularly stunning piece for the exhibition - he loves holographic paper possibly as much as I do. props to Chris!

Subscribe to Holographic RSS feed