Understanding Holograms: How Do They Work?

[Jay Lakoda]

I've read and watched countless educational articles/lectures/youtube vids/etc. And I still don't get it. What happens to the molecules in the holographic film to make it work? Are new molecules formed? Are electrons changing states? Or what? I don't understand how it works. Help please =/

 

[Jay Lakoda]

Lol, idk. I just would like someone to explain how holograms work.

 

[timthereaper]

You know, I have exactly the same question. Google has been my constant companion with this, but just like with you, nothing has really been too helpful in sufficiently explaining how holography works in terms I can understand.

Hope someone out there has a really good answer to this!

 

[blue_leaf77]

If the question is how the holographic plate works so that it can record the required interference pattern, you can refer to these wikipedia links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography#Apparatus under Hologram Classification section
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_emulsion

 

[timthereaper]

I've read and watched countless educational articles/lectures/youtube vids/etc. And I still don't get it.

It seems the OP has been there, just like me.

 

[blue_leaf77]

Actually it's not very clear to me what the OP intended to ask, is it how holography works in the sense of its underlying physics or how a hologram can be developed to become a transmission grating? If it's the latter, it involves certain chemical reaction, as pointed out in the second link I gave up there, and he might have gotten relevant answers if this post was made under chemistry forum.

 

[Inquire]

I feel the same way. I have looked and looked on the internet and read ton of articles, but nobody does a good job of breaking down a Hologram in layman's terms. The main question I have, if anyone out there knows, is how to IDENTITY a Hologram. I have a feeling that we are going to need to know that in the future, and I have not found the answer yet. Hopefully someone who knows will see this thread and answer. My own elementary thought at the moment is that if you shine a high-beam light through it, it would defract on the other side. But if there's is nothing behind it, or if it's done in daylight, would you be able to see it? Anyone have any thoughts on how to recognize a a high-tech hologram?

 

[timthereaper]

So I tried reading a bit more on this, and I came to the conclusion that a hologram is a really complicated diffraction grating that causes a light source to interfere with itself to create a 3D virtual image that we see. Am I close?

 

[Employad]

If you don,t get the right answer after reading/watching the articles and videos then you should read the Journals published by IEEE. I think it help you to sort out your job/problem.