Lasers and Holography

Science Study Series No. 39: Lasers and Holography: An Introduction to Coherent Optics focuses on the processes, methodologies, and techniques involved in optics, including wave diffraction and patterns, zone plates, holograms, and diffraction.

The publication first ponders on holograms as wave patterns, coherence, and lasers. Topics include reflectors and resonators, natural line width, semiconductor lasers, reflectors and spatial coherence, energy conservation with reflectors, frequency coherence and stability, coherent waves from small sources, photographic grating, and properties of waves. The book then tackles wave diffraction, as well as diffraction by two and multiple slits, near field, multiple slit gratings and photographic gratings, refraction by prisms, dependence of diffraction on wavelength, and disks and zone plates.

The manuscript reviews the properties of holograms and zone plates. Discussions focus on holograms and coherent radar, single wavelength nature of holograms, image inversion, reconstruction with a small portion of a hologram, pseudoscopy in the real image of a hologram, zone plates as negative lenses, offset zone plates, and zone plates with areas interchanged.

The text is a dependable reference for researchers interested in coherent optics.

Preface

Chapter 1. Holograms as Wave Patterns

Properties of Waves

Wave Uniformity

Interference

Making A Hologram

A Photographic Grating

A Photographic Zone Plate

The Complete Hologram Process

The Hologram of a Scene

Chapter 2. Coherence

Frequency Coherence

Frequency Stability

Spatial Coherence

Coherent Waves from Small Sources

A Microwave Hologram

A Real Acoustic Image

The Extremely Short Wavelengths of Light

Chapter 3. Lasers

The First Laser

A Water Wave Analogy

The Two-Step Process

Energy Conservation with Reflectors

Reflectors and Spatial Coherence

Energy Concentration

Q-Spoiling

Gas Lasers

Reflectors and Resonators

The Natural Line Width

Coherence Length

Semiconductor Lasers

Chapter 4. Wave Diffraction

Diffraction by a Slit

The Near Field

Diffraction by Two Slits

Diffraction by Multiple Slits

Multiple Slit Gratings and Photographic Gratings

Refraction by Prisms

A Prism Grating

A Double-Prism Grating

Volume Effects

Dependence of Diffraction on Wavelength

Diffraction by a Knife Edge

Diffraction by a Disk

Disks and Zone Plates

Chapter 5. Zone Plates

The Classical Zone Plate

Zone Plates as Negative Lenses

Zone Plates with Areas Interchanged

Offset Zone Plates

Offset Holograms

Zone Plates as Lenses

Volume Zone Plates

Standing Wave Patterns

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