COLOR-HOLOGRAPHY USING THE ANGULAR SELECTIVITY OF VOLUME RECORDING MEDIA

A display hologram of an object can be recorded and reconstructed in t hree primary colors if the angular selectivity of volume recording med ia is exploited. Three holograms are recorded in the same medium, each at a different primary color. These three holograms are reconstructed by simultaneous illumination of the hologram with the original refere nce beams. By proper choice of the angles that the reference beams mak e to the hologram, it is possible to suppress strongly cross talk betw een the different reconstructions (e.g., the red object reconstruction in green light). The technique exhibits high resolution, high diffrac tion efficiency, and vivid colors. Through the addition of three holog raphically recorded volume gratings it is possible to reconstruct the hologram with a beam of white light. The saturation and brightness of each primary color in the reconstruction can be adjusted by selection of an appropriate thickness for the corresponding grating.