Hints and Kinks

This is a collection of simple tips and techniques worth sharing.

Optics

Rotating Polarization with Mirrors

PolarizRotateWMirror.jpg

DCG

Effect of Overexposure

adapted from a post by Joe Farina, http://holoforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=652 Overexposure can have a drastic effect on dichromated gelatin. Test strips early and often are well advised. The graph is from Lasers and Holography by Mehta and Rampal, 1993. It was reprinted from a paper by Chang and Leonard, "Dichromated gelatin for the fabrication of holographic optical elements," Applied Optics, 1979.

Boiling holograms

adapted from a post by manalokos, http://holoforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=138 I was frustrated with a hologram of a tiny buddha statue because it was dim and narrow-band, shifting a bit too much to the blue. I heated water until it boiled, took it out of the heat source, and then dropped the plate inside, left it there for 60 seconds, and put it into ambient temp water. I re-developed it, and I got a much more broadband and brighter result.