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An easy teaching tool for holography

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2012 Eur. J. Phys. 33 1803

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IOP PUBLISHING EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS
Eur. J. Phys. 33 (2012) 1803–1811 doi:10.1088/0143-0807/33/6/1803

An easy teaching tool for holography

T Voslion 1 and A Escarguel 2
1 Maison des Sciences Division de la Recherche, Aix-Marseille Université, case 1, 3 place Victor
Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France
2 Laboratoire PIIM, UMR 7345 CNRS, case 321, Aix-Marseille Université,
av Escadrille Normandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France

E-mail: alexandre.escarguel@univ-amu.fr

Received 2 September 2012

Published 8 October 2012
Online at stacks.iop.org/EJP/33/1803

Abstract
In the framework of scientific outreach at the Maison des Sciences of Aix-
Marseilles University, we created a teaching kit for holography that can be
packed into a small case. It includes all the equipment required to produce
holograms almost anywhere and has a simple optical assembly and very good
vibration tolerance. The fundamental principles of holography and several
applications are illustrated through simple experiments: reflection Denisyuk
holograms, angular multiplexing, notch filters, holographic interferometry and
diffraction holographic gratings. It is possible to use this tool for several
purposes: science outreach, teaching for undergraduate and graduate students
and continuing education. In this paper, we explain the basis of holography, how
the kit works and indicate some applications and results that can be performed
and obtained with it.
(Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)

1. Introduction

D Gabor, a Hungarian-born British physicist, invented the principle of holography in 1948

while he was looking for an electronic microscopy resolution enhancement [1]. He received
the physics Nobel Prize for his work on holography in 1971. The three-dimensional pictures
are produced with a coherent light source (laser) and are particularly realistic. When using three
lasers, one for each of the wavelengths of the primary colors, it is impossible to differentiate
between the real object and its hologram, provided that the hologram is properly illuminated.
Holograms intrigue and allow many physical principles (of varying degrees of complexity
according to the audience) to be addressed: laser properties, colors, coherence, interference,
multiplexing, etc. However, the techniques employed to produce holograms are usually very
sensitive to parasite vibrations. According to many books, it is almost impossible to produce
a hologram in an environment where all sources of vibration are not perfectly controlled.
Depending on the type of holographic device, a movement of a few tenths of a micrometer
may be enough to cause the experiment to fail.
0143-0807/12/061803+09$33.00 
c 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK & the USA 1803
1804 T Voslion and A Escarguel

Figure 1. Left: a reflection hologram produced using the pedagogic kit for holography with an
Ultimate holographic plate [4] and development chemicals (developer and bleach) from the same
supplier. Typical exposure time: 3 s. Right: the holographic case, with every item necessary to
produce the hologram.

Figure 2. Scheme of the hologram production principle. L: coherent light source; S: optical system
(beam splitter); O: object; P: photosensitive plate; RB: reference beam; OB: object beam; and θ :
mean angle between RB and OB. The two beams are enlarged by means of lenses not indicated in
the figure, so that they cover the whole object and plate.

The holography equipment presented in this paper allows very good quality holograms
with high diffraction efficiency (figure 1) to be made almost anywhere, if the room is dark
enough and has an electricity source. Its objective is to provide a complete and practical
set of experiments for pedagogic and outreach purposes. First-year physics students at Aix-
Marseilles University produced the results presented in this paper during ‘practical class’
sessions. The assembly is simple and optimized to be extremely robust with respect to vibration.
There is no need to use any device to palliate parasite vibration sources. The technique is based
on the reflection holograms invented by Y Denisyuk [2], who was inspired by G Lippmann’s
work on interferential color photography [3]. The holograms are observable in white light
and several experiments illustrate the applications of holography: holographic interferometry,
angular multiplexing (holographic versatile disc), ‘notch’ filters (Raman spectroscopy) and
diffraction holographic gratings (passive spectroscopy). After a short introduction to the
principles of holography, we present the device included in the kit and the experiments that
can be performed using it.

2. Hologram production principle

Holography is based on a simple principle: the interference between two coherent light beams.
In figure 2, the beam from the laser L is divided into two parts by an optical system S, and
spreads out over the object O as well as on the photosensitive plate P. The ‘object beam’ OB
An easy teaching tool for holography 1805

is the beam obtained by the diffusion/reflection of the light on the object, while the ‘reference
beam’ RB comes directly from the laser. The mean angle between the object and reference
beams is θ . This angle is important for angular multiplexing principles. It also determines
the mean fringe spacing of the hologram. Interference between the two beams OB and RB
occurs only if their path difference is less than the coherence length. This particular length
corresponds to Lc = c/ν, where c is the speed of light and ν the spectral width of the laser.
The experimental setup used in the holographic kit only needs a coherence length larger than
1 cm. By construction, the low-power helium–neon (He–Ne) lasers we use have a coherence
length much larger than this.
To realize a hologram, a classical optical assembly requires a beam splitter (optical
system S), two mirrors, two lenses to spread the OB and RB laser beams, an object and a
holographic plate or film. When the two beams come from the same side of the plate, we
obtain a transmission hologram that can only be observed with the original laser. If the two
laser beams come from opposite sides of the plate, a reflection hologram is obtained, which
can be viewed with white light (see [5, 6] for details). Whatever the type of hologram, all the
devices located after the beam splitter must be kept perfectly stable during the exposure time.
Thus the environment must be vibration free, which is usually achieved with an active/passive
vibration isolation system. Such complicated and expensive devices are not always suitable
for teaching or outreach.
When the object is a simple front surface mirror, a periodic modulation of the light intensity
is recorded on the photosensitive plate due to the phase shift between RB and OB. If the object
is not flat, the wavefront of the OB is deformed, and the resulting interference pattern becomes
more complex. The hologram’s fundamental idea is to record this phase variation relative
to the reference beam RB. Once developed, the hologram illuminated by the reference beam
diffracts light just like the object. Unlike a photograph, a hologram contains information on the
object relief. For a diffusive object, it is important to note that there is information redundancy,
because every point of the object diffuses laser light on a large part of the photosensitive
plate. Readers interested in a complete description of holographic techniques should refer, for
example, to Saxby [5] or Collier [6].

3. Teaching kit for holography description

The holography teaching kit was developed in 2010 after the CETSIS congress [7] dedicated
to didactic experiments. The dimensions of the holographic case are 34 cm × 25 cm × 16 cm
and it includes all the items necessary to produce a hologram almost anywhere. A detailed
list of them is given at the end of the paper. The case includes a 0.8 mW He–Ne gas laser
emitting at 632.8 nm (class IIIa). Our laser is linearly polarized, but a non-linearized laser
also works. With the power under 1mW, it is possible to decrease the risk associated with
highly collimated beams. This type of gas laser has a good coherence length, especially as its
power is low. The laser requires no special precautions with regard to stability. It is possible
to use a much cheaper laser diode. However, diode characteristics are extremely sensitive to
temperature changes, which decreases the hologram success rate greatly.
Figure 3 shows our experimental setup and corresponds to a single-beam Denisyuk
hologram setup. Figure 4 shows a photograph of the experimental device. The laser light
is spread with a lens and is directed upwards with the aid of a 45◦ mirror, inspired from a
periscope reflective mount system. The photosensitive plate and the object are placed directly
on the flat mirror mount, as indicated in figure 3. This mirror mount is the central part of
the experimental setup, and this is made by the mechanics team at Aix-Marseilles University.
Unlike the setup shown in figure 2, there is no need to physically divide the laser beam into
1806 T Voslion and A Escarguel

Figure 3. Schematic side view of the optical assembly used in the pedagogic kit for holography. L:
He–Ne laser; S: optical system (lens); M: 45◦ mirror; P: photosensitive plate, carried by the mirror
mount; O: object, carried by the plate.

Figure 4. Experimental device to realize a hologram using the kit. From left to right: He–Ne laser,
lens with a XY translator mount, periscope with a holographic plate painted in white to position
the diverging laser beam properly. The object is simply placed on the holographic plate. The green
comes from the safelight.

two parts with a beam splitter and stabilize all the optical elements. In holography, stability is
crucial, but only after the laser beam division [5]. In a single-beam Denisyuk hologram setup,
this only happens when the beam is crossing the plate. So, it is only necessary to have no
vibrations between the plate and the object. In our case, the plate and the object are stabilized
with respect to each other thanks to gravity. The object is placed on the plate, which is put
on the periscope, and the periscope is simply laid on a table. This experimental device is very
stable, even in a non-stabilized environment with 30 children watching. The object beam is
the one that is reflected/diffused by the object and which is coming back towards the plate,
while the reference beam is the part of the one coming directly from the laser. This produces
a reflection hologram characterized by the fact that the two incident beams are from opposite
side of the plate. The sensitivity of the Ultimate holographic plates is 200 μJ cm−2. For a
distance between the laser and the periscope of around 45 cm, the corresponding exposure
time is around 3s to 5s. This time can be calculated by placing a powermeter at the plate
location, and by making a simple calculation from the sensitivity. A much cheaper luxmeter
can also be used, if it is calibrated beforehand with a powermeter. This exposure time is short,
which is also an asset in view of vibration tolerance.
The most important piece of the kit is the periscope shown in figure 5. The main body
is a cube with a circular aperture in front to let the diverging laser enter. The cube contains
a right-angle prism with a reflecting hypotenuse which redirects the coherent light vertically
An easy teaching tool for holography 1807

Figure 5. Isometric view of the periscope. The diverging laser beam comes from the left and is
redirected vertically by the reflecting prism.

through a circular aperture on the top of the cube. The holographic plate is simply put on
to this aperture, and the object placed on the plate. A piece of metal is fixed to prevent the
beam entering the plate by its edge. For holographic interferometry, a flexible metallic foil is
fixed a few millimeters on top of the plate and a calibrated micrometer head allows its precise
displacement. This periscope ensures excellent stability for the plate with respect to the object
so that no additional vibration isolation device is needed.
From this we see that if the room is sufficiently dark a hologram can be produced anywhere
(classroom, theater, kitchen, etc). Development using Ultimate’s developer and bleach takes
around 10 min (see [4] for the detailed procedure) and require access to water for rinsing
purposes (tank or running water). These chemicals are safe and non-toxic, and can thus be
handled by children. The diffraction efficiency of the holograms produced is larger than 90%
and can be observed with a simple torch, which is an important asset for direct observation
after its completion.
For outreach, a simple hologram can be produced during a 45 min workshop. This includes
a basic explanation of holography physics as well as production of a hologram. A group of 20
primary-, junior-high- and high-school students can attend the workshop at the same time. The
workshop content is tailored to the level of students to arouse their curiosity and provide them
with accessible information. With a success rate of almost 100%, students who participate in
the realization of a hologram are proud of what they have produced. They are thus in a good
position to go further into the physical concepts on which holography is based.
1808 T Voslion and A Escarguel

Figure 6. Experimental device for the realization of interferometry measurements. F: metallic foil,
fixed on the left side. C: calibrated micrometer head, vertically moving the foil right side.

4. Pedagogic kit for holography: applications

Beyond the simple realization of a hologram for outreach purposes, it is possible to perform
several experiments illustrating the applications of holography:
• holographic interferometry, used in mechanical stress diagnostics;
• angular multiplexing, used in data storage (holographic versatile disc);
• notch filter, used in Raman spectroscopy; and
• diffraction holographic grating, used in passive spectroscopy.
Holographic interferometry is the technique that introduced holography into industry in 1965.
Researchers found that if the object moves a few micrometers when the hologram is realized,
dark interference fringes associated with this movement appear. It is possible to measure the
micrometrical deformations of any object using this technique [8].
To realize such an experiment using our kit, it is necessary to make a double-exposure
hologram of a flexible metallic foil F placed just above the photosensible plate and fixed at
one extremity (figure 6). Between the two exposures, the other extremity of the foil is moved
vertically by a known distance dmic with a calibrated micrometer head C fixed on the mirror
mount M. After development, the two holograms will create secondary interference consisting
of dark/light fringes superimposed on the foil hologram. The foil shift dholo can be deduced
by counting the number of dark fringes between its fixed point and its extremity. For the Nth
dark fringe, we have:
dholo = (N − 1)λ/2 + λ/4. (1)
λ is the laser wavelength. This result can be compared to the translation of the calibrated
translation device dmic. Figure 7 shows typical results obtained by first-year students at Aix-
Marseilles University. They found a good linearity between the two-measurement methods,
validating the theoretical calculation.
Information storage using semiconductor memories or discs (DVD, blu-ray, etc) use
‘surface’ technology. These technologies are now well known and their capacities close to
their theoretical limits. Holography allows storage of data in ‘volume’, which greatly increases
the density of information. Holographic versatile discs (HVDs) use this to increase data density.
Moreover, angular multiplexing can be also used. This technique relies on a singular property
of holography: by changing the reference beam angle θ between each exposure, it is possible to
record several sets of data on the same photosensitive plate. After development, the hologram
returns a particular set of data depending on the reference beam angle used to read the
disc. Our holography kit enables illustration of this angular multiplexing principle. With one
photosensitive plate two holograms are produced with two different reference beam angles.
For this, a wedge is placed below one edge of the photosensible plate and a new object is put
on it between two exposures to the laser. Once developed, one can see the image of one object
or the other, depending on the angle of observation of the hologram.
An easy teaching tool for holography 1809

Figure 7. Measured displacement dholo of a metallic foil deduced from its double exposure hologram
versus real displacement dmic measured with a calibrated micrometer head (O). The line represents
the ideal case dholo = dmic.

Figure 8. Transmittance of a notch filter made with the holography teaching kit. The Ultimate
holographic plates are pre-swelled so that the centered wavelength of the filter is shifted 70 nm
from the initial He–Ne laser wavelength (632.8 nm). This allows us to obtain brighter holograms
because of human-eye sensitivity.

A third application of the kit is the creation of a notch filter, which blocks a particular
frequency range with much steeper fronts than conventional interference filters. These filters
are used in Raman spectroscopy, where it is necessary to distinguish the scattering spectra
very close to the excitation source. It is possible to produce such a filter with the kit, simply by
producing a hologram of a front mirror placed on the photosensible plate. After development,
the hologram reflects light like the mirror, but only on a spectral band λ around the laser
wavelength. As shown in figure 8, it is possible to measure the transmittance of the obtained
notch filter with a white light source and a small spectrometer (not included in the kit).
A fourth application of the holography teaching kit is the realization of holographic
diffraction gratings, widely used in passive spectroscopy. For this a front surface mirror is
fixed in front of the entrance hole of the mirror mount to deviate a small part of the incoming
laser beam (figure 9). A mechanical device allows its positioning. This part of the beam
encounters the undeflected laser beam on the plate with a phase shift. This leads to the
creation of interference fringes, which can diffract incident light. The distance dg between
1810 T Voslion and A Escarguel

Figure 9. Experimental device for the realization of a diffraction grating. M1: main mirror and
M2: additional mirror on a rotating system.

two successive fringes, and as a consequence the groove spacing, can be deduced from the
following relation:
λ
dg =  , (2)
2sin α2
with α = mean angle between the two phase shifted laser beams. This experiment illustrates
the principle of holographic diffraction grating realization, and it is possible to clearly observe
the first order diffraction spectrum of an incident white light. More precisely, we can calculate
the mean groove spacing dgexp with a simple experiment: if the collimated He–Ne laser beam
impacts the diffraction grating with an incident angle β 1 with respect to the normal, it is
diffracted with an angle β 2 [9]:
λ
sin (β1 ) + sin (β2 ) = exp . (3)
dg
Experimentally, we obtain around 1200 grooves per mm. If we use the relation (2),
this corresponds to a mean angle α of 46◦ , which is coherent with the global orientation of
the mirror. A more precise measurement of dgexp can be made using other lasers at different
wavelengths, for example a blu-ray diode (λ = 405 nm) and a green laser module (λ = 532 nm).
Moreover, it is possible to study the evolution of dgexp with the mean angle α by making several
diffraction gratings with different angles between the two parts of the laser beam. The realized
diffraction gratings can be used to observe emission spectra of typical emission sources.
These experiments were successfully proposed to physics students at Aix-Marseille
University. The experimental device was installed on common tables, without particular
precautions against vibration being taken. They allowed precise measurement and showed
several important current applications of holography.

5. Conclusion

The holography teaching kit described has been used for several years at Aix-Marseille
University for student’s physics projects. It provides pedagogic subjects for undergraduate
students with no particular need for an active or passive anti-vibration device. It is possible to
develop, with educational goals, more complex experiments based on this kit: color holography
(wavelength multiplexing), high-quality notch filters with central wavelength control, etc.
These kinds of experiments can be used as a ‘semester project’ for undergraduate and graduate
students. In this case, students develop the full experiment by themselves, typically one half-day
per week. Moreover, the kit can also be used for outreach; foe example, at public exhibitions,
science festivals, conferences, and for junior-high- and high-school teacher training. At Aix-
Marseille University five holographic kits are currently available. Thanks to this kit, a high-
school student club has qualified for the national French competition, the ‘Physics Olympiad’.
They produced several live holograms in the presence of a jury. The kits have also been loaned
An easy teaching tool for holography 1811

to teachers who wanted to show their students how to make a hologram. An inexpensive
version of the kit for massive outreach is under consideration.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Yves Gentet for helpful discussions and their first-year students
for providing the data used in this paper. This work was supported by the French government’s
‘LUNAP, science à l’ecole’ initiative.

Appendix. Detailed list of items included in the holographic kit case

1. Holographic plates in a lightproof box

2. Developer
3. Bleach
4. Photo-Flo
5. Three development tubs (perfect size for the holographic plate)
6. One syringe to dose few ml of developer
7. One beaker to dose the water added to the developer
8. One hair dryer to dry the plate quickly after the development process
9. One 0.8 mW He–Ne laser
10. One lens (focal length ∼4 mm) on an XY translator mount
11. One luxmeter, to determine the exposure time
12. One chronometer for exposition and development
13. One black mask to block the laser
14. One holographic plate painted in white, to position the elements of the optical device
15. One safelight (green diode)
16. One periscope
17. One metallic object to make holograms
18. A powerful torch/flashlight (white light), for hologram observation after development
19. A hologram sample, made with the object included in the case
20. A pencil, to clean the lens if necessary
21. A guidebook created for the holographic case, with step-by-step explanations

References
[1] Gabor D 1948 A new microscopic principle Nature 161 777–8
[2] Denisyuk Y N 1962 Photographic reconstruction of the optical properties of an object in its own scattered
radiation Akad. Nauk SSR 144 1275–8
[3] Lippmann G 1891 La photographie des couleurs C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 112 274–5
[4] Gentet Y http://www.ultimate-holography.com
[5] Saxby G (ed) 2003 Practical Holography (Bristol, UK: IOP)
[6] Collier R J, Burckhardt C B and Lin L H 1971 Optical Holography (New York: Academic)
[7] Escarguel A 2010 Holographie: un outil simple pour l’enseignement du secondaire au supérieur Colloque CETSIS
2010 (Grenoble) J. l’enseignement Sci. Technol. Inform. Syst. 9 0015
[8] Smigielski P 1994 Holographie Industrielle (Toulouse: Teknea)
[9] James J 2007 Spectrograph Design Fundamentals (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)