holographs ?

Thread Starter

Mathematics!

Joined Jul 21, 2008
1,036
I am wondering if their is an easy way to make your own holographs.
Or can they only be made with high powered / expensive lasers / mirrors ...etc

Basically I have read the theory on holographs record light scatter intensity and phase.
But I am wondering how I could possible make one.

Do I need special camera developing chemicals to make the film record phase as well as light scatter intensity, ...what?

Don't even know if it is possible without a lot of money.
 

Brownout

Joined Jan 10, 2012
2,390
According to some websites I've viewed, it's entirely possible. Authors claim to make holograms with inexpensive laser pointers, like the kind sold at office supply stores. The rest of the materials necessary are fairly common, and the only thing that's super special is the film used. It must be a special, hi-resolution kind. I'm not an expert, I'm only sharing what I've read online. There are numerous resources on the web, so you should be able to find lots of info.
 

steveb

Joined Jul 3, 2008
2,436
I am wondering if their is an easy way to make your own holographs.
Or can they only be made with high powered / expensive lasers / mirrors ...etc

Basically I have read the theory on holographs record light scatter intensity and phase.
But I am wondering how I could possible make one.

Do I need special camera developing chemicals to make the film record phase as well as light scatter intensity, ...what?

Don't even know if it is possible without a lot of money.
It can definitely be done for a reasonable amount of money, but "reasonable" is a relative word. I think you would have better results and more fun using a helium neon laser rather than a laser pointer. They are not too expensive have have very good coherence and beam quality.

Somewhere in my bookshelf, I have a book about doing holography at home. My recollection was that a great deal of money can be saved by making your own optics table by building a sandbox on top of inflated inner tubes. The inner tubes act like the professional air-pressurized vibration isolation/damping legs, and the sandbox has the mass of an optics table which is an important part of the vibration isolation.

A further advantage of the sandbox is that mounting posts and holders for the optical parts can be held firmly in place by the sand itself. Normally a professional isolation table has a matrix of threaded holes (perhaps 1 inch spacing) for mounting posts. Hence, you don't have to buy expensive holders and posts designed to work on an optics table. That stuff gets very expensive.

This hobby involves a fair amount of up-front research and physical labor, and there will be some initial investment in materials. However, once you are set up, it should be easy to make holograms and the on-going cost and effort will be modest.

If you are interested, I can find that book tonight and give you the information about it. It is a "how to" book, so it gives practical information that would enable you to estimate the costs, and then to see the project through, should you decide to go forward.
 
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