Topics covered:
        •  What is holography?
        •  History of holography – Timeline
        •  Basic terms and concepts in holography
            – Interference
            – Fresnel Zone Lens
            – Visibility
            – Influence of polarization
            – Holographic recording and reconstruction
        •  Fundamental Imaging Techniques in Holography
        •  Formation of holograms in general
        •  Basic holography equations
        •  Holography in everyday life
        •  Interesting articles to read on holography
    What is holography?
     Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered 
     from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that 
     it appears as if the object is in the same position relative to 
     the recording medium as it was when recorded. The image 
     changes as the position and orientation of the viewing 
     system changes in exactly the same way as if the object was 
     still present, thus making the recorded image (hologram) 
     appear three dimensional. Holograms can also be made 
     using other types of waves.
     The technique of holography can also be used to optically 
     store, retrieve, and process information. While holography is 
     commonly used to display static 3-D pictures, it is not yet 
     possible to generate arbitrary scenes by a holographic 
     volumetric display.
       History of Holography
                            Holography was invented in 1947 by 
                            Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor (1900–
                            1979), work for which he received the 
                            Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971.
        Gabor's research focused on electron optics, which led him to the 
                                 
        invention of holography.The basic idea was that for perfect optical 
        imaging, the total of all the information has to be used; not only the 
        amplitude, as in usual optical imaging, but also the phase. In this 
        manner a complete holo-spatial picture can be obtained.
    History of Holography - Timeline
                                      Dennis Gabor, inventor of 
                                      holography, stands 
                                      beside his 18"x24" laser 
                                      transmission, pulsed 
                                      portrait. The historic 
                                      portrait was recorded in 
                                      1971 by R. Rinehart, 
                                      McDonnell Douglas 
                                      Electronics Company, St. 
                                      Charles, MO to 
                                      commemorate Gabor's 
                                      winning of the Nobel 
                                      Prize that year.
    History of Holography - Timeline
   Dr. Dennis Gabor signs a copy of the Museum of 
   Holography's inaugural exhibition catalogue, "Through 
   The Looking Glass," during his historic visit to the 
   museum on March 17, 1977. (Photo by Paul D. 
   Barefoot)
    At the time Gabor developed holography, coherent light sources were 
    not available, so the theory had to wait more than a decade until its first 
    practical applications were realized, though he experimented with a 
    heavily filtered mercury arc light source. The invention in 1960 of the 
    laser, the first coherent light source, was followed by the first hologram, 
    in 1963, after which holography became commercially available.