Revolutionary Holography Facts For Every Photography Enthusiast

Time and again, technological advancements have provided how efficiently they can create incredible things out of sheer coincidence; holography is one of these examples.

The term holography or hologram is made up of a combination of Greek terms. These terms include 'Holo,' which means whole, and 'Gamma,' which implies message, together forming a term that means something that delivers a whole message.

A technique that resembles something from a science fiction novel exists between us, called a hologram. A hologram is created out of holography, which refers to a practice that makes a three-dimensional image out of light rays. Although relevant to each other, holography and holograms are different. While holograms are the product of holography that uses a laser beam to create a picture, holographic technology refers to a technique used to create or reconstruct these 3D images, which can be used for multiple other applications.

The holoprojector seen in Star Wars is the right example to know what holography is and how it works to create valuable technological benefits for diverse sectors.

Origin & Historical Facts

Dennis Gabor created the principle of holography in 1947, for which he also received the Nobel Prize in Physics in the year 1971. Gabor's holographic study was based and done on the work of X-ray microscopy conducted by other scientists. The discovery was a coincidental event while Gabor was trying to work on improving the electron microscope.

Although created far back in 1947, optical holography didn't receive a boost until the creation of the laser in 1960. The development of the laser catalyzed the process of improvements in holographic practice as the laser enabled the creation of the first practical optical hologram, which led to the creation of 3D objects made by holographs. The event took place under the guidance of Yuri Denisyuk, in 1962.

Initially, Silver Halide photographic emulsion was used as a recording medium. Still, its lack of efficiency led Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks to study many variations and come up with better, more efficient ways to make the process feasible. Gabor created the first hologram but Leith and Upatnieks recorded the first hologram of 3-D objects in 1964. With advancements in holographic techniques, Juri Nikolajewitsch Denisjuk invented the white-light-holography in 1965, which uses only a single laser to expose the given object in a hologram and read it.

Working & Physics Of Holography

Holography is making a three-dimensional image out of lasers, more accurate than photographically caught two-dimensional images. The holograph technique uses the wave aspect of the light source to create three-dimensional images that are capable of slight movement and change as another light source is drawn over it. The process of creating holograms is quite similar to photography but requires purer light sources instead of ordinary light, which is incoherent.

In order to attain more accuracy, laser beams are used in the photographic plate as the reference beam. This reference beam or reference wave saves the patterns of the beam on the film placed on the photographic plate, with the process being done completely under the lack of any other light. The photographic plate then requires a second beam to create the film, with both beams meeting at a wide-angle on the plate, creating an interference pattern. The resulting image is a hologram that can be printed on a suitable medium for viewers to further use light on the same and see the desired reconstructed wave.

In holography, a wavefront is first recorded and then re-constructed to generate 3D-images.

Applications Of Holographs

Through the years, consistent improvements in holographic technology have helped create a much better, interactive functionality out of the technology. This includes enormous sectors using it to improve their functioning. One of the most prominent consumer spheres of holographs is education. Thanks to holographic models, representation of educational themes and projects have become far more engaging than ever before. For instance, a medical classroom has access to learn through the holographic representation of human anatomy, which in every way is better than the two-dimensional imagery in their books.

The entertainment sector has made the most out of using holographic technology by bringing artists and characters to life through holography. In addition, live performances without the presence of a leading artist have now been made possible through holographs, which might have seemed very science-fiction-like a few years back.

Holographic data storage is what we carry in our pockets every day. Credit or debit cards all include a hologram storing an enormous amount of data that the machine receives and carries out the demanded action on the same.

False Holograms

Effects created by other mediums project a hologram-like appearance. Still, they lack the depth and functionality of an original hologram, and are known as a false hologram, for example, the Pepper's Ghost illusion created by lenticular printing. The technique makes a hologram-like representation of three-dimensional models, but they still exhibit their two-dimensional nature with flat shapes appearing less realistic.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held in 2012, displayed what was supposed to be a hologram of late American rapper Tupac Shakur on the stage, the digital version of Pepper's Ghost Illusion, a rear projection of the rapper performing. Although at a distance it appears three-dimensional, closely its appearance is flat and two dimensional. Hologram, on the other hand, captures a complete three-dimensional model. The types of illusions are also known as fauxtography.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

The first highly interactive hologram was created back in 2015 in Japan by the name 'Fairy light,' which was created in a way to respond to the human touch. Although holograms are 'fake,' fake illusions of holograms are further created to project 3D-like effects using practices known as fauxtography. After his demise, the iconic Michael Jackson performance was promoted by calling it a hologram of the deceased artist, just like Tupac Shakur's. Still, both were not exactly holograms, but the faux rendition of holograms in 3D-like imagery but was completely flat if seen closely.

In 2015, Stanford University professor and Nobel Laureate Karl Wieman used holographic models of kidneys in his lecture. In addition, an article in Scientific American magazine called 'Information in the Holographic Universe' analyzed theoretical results of a black hole and suggested a theory stating the universe we exist in can be a giant hologram.

FAQs

Q. What is special about holograms?

A. Holograms capture the 3D structure of images on a 2D surface that people can clearly see through their eyes without using any lens, mobile phone, or other devices. Labels on a product created with holographic technology contain the same technology and also allow them to store countless information.

Q. Who invented holograms?

A. Hologram and holography were invented by Hungary-born British engineer Dennis Gabor.

Q. How was holographic created?

A. Holography was created by recording a wavefront and then reconstructing it to get the picture. The original wave was superimposed with a second wavefront, creating an illumination of interference, which is further diffracted to develop the original wavefront. The effect can be recorded digitally or in physical form.

Q. What does holographic symbolize?

A. The holographic symbolizes a 3D image of anything created by beams of light waves and can be used to record information. The effect works in a manner that makes the reflected image capable of moving rather than the stagnant 2D imagery.

Q. Is a hologram a color?

A. The hologram is not exactly a color, but holographic images produce a color-like effect which is now widely recognized as holographic color. It consists of shiny, multidimensional shades of color, creating a 3D effect on things and changing color due to its shine when looked at from different angles.

Q. When was the first hologram used?

A. The use of the first practical optical hologram was in 1962 by Yuri Denisyuk.

Q. What does holographic nail polish mean?

A. Holographic nail polish incorporates a blend of such colors, reflecting a multidimensional effect of moving imagery. It's not exactly holographic but includes similar appearing colors as it looks in a hologram.

Q. How are holograms used today?

A. Holograms are used in 3D technology to contribute to learning resources as a tool for better training. By creating full 3D images of human anatomy, holographic technology revolutionizes medicine.

Q. What kind of lens does a hologram use?

A. Hologram uses thin-profile combiner lenses to extract collimated imagery.

Q. How is a holographic pigment made?

A. Holographic pigment exhibits the same features as a hologram and is created by micro-fine iridescent-effect pigments. The pigment particles are smooth shiny diffract the falling light on it in spectrum to reflect rainbow-like holographic effect.

Q. What is the application of holography?

A. The most commonly used application of holography currently is to create 3D images of things that are widely used in educational practices now. In the form of holograms, holography is used to capture mounds of detail in a single, small 3D image. Holograms can also represent the stress in any material.