Spatially incoherent common-path off-axis color digital holography

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Digital Holography
• 3D Imaging

Background:

• Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH) is a common-path technique for incoherent holography.
• Advanced FINCH systems exist but can be complex and light-inefficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a simplified and cost-effective incoherent common-path off-axis color digital holographic (ICOCH) system.
• To demonstrate the ICOCH system's capability for recording holograms of 3D color objects under incoherent illumination.

Main Methods:

• Development of an off-axis color digital holographic system.
• Utilizing a common-path optical configuration.
• Employing single exposure per color for hologram acquisition.

Main Results:

• The ICOCH system successfully records information from 3D color objects in transmission and reflection modes.
• The system offers advantages over advanced FINCH, including simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and higher light throughput.
• Off-axis configuration enables efficient separation of zero-order and twin images.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ICOCH system is a simple, cost-effective, and efficient solution for recording incoherent color holograms.
• Single-exposure acquisition per color makes the system suitable for diverse applications requiring 3D color imaging.