Hello and Greetings.

[johnfp]

I haven't explored this site fully but I am always interested in most kinds of science. Although I am an IT geek, I make holograms as a hobby. Not sure why but pure light and its manipulation (or control) has always facinated me. I was particulary interested in the "The Final Theory" thread, which is what brought me here, but I see the thread has aged and doesn't have much activity anymore. I just got the book and am only half way through it. Very interesting indeed.

 

Anyway, feel free to visit my web site and ask any questions you may have concerning holography. Hopefully I will find some holography threads/interests here.

 

Peace

John

[Tormod]

Warm welcomes to you, John!

[johnfp]

Can you tell me how to create a signature. I don't see the option in my control panel.

 

Thanks in advance,

John

[Tormod]

You need 10 posts! Read up on "user levels" here:

 

http://hypography.com/forums/tutorials-how-s/2278-understanding-user-levels.html

[johnfp]

Ok, thank you for taking the time to inform and point me to the tutorial.

[johnfp]

Well, I thought I would give a little more background on myself.

 

I only have 3.5 years of college, of which in the last 1.5 years I took the classed not for a degree but for fun. I took some advanced math and science coursed including calc, physics and computer science. About 25 years ago I saw a holographic watch. The hologram was that of an eagle. I bought the watch and spent hours on hours looking at one place on the crystal and while tilting the watch, viewied different parts of the eagle come in to view. It amazed me. So I had to learn how to make holograms.

 

I have put the hobby down and picked it back up quite a few times since then but I been have active in creating holograms continuously for about 4 or 5 years now as time allows in my busy schedule.

 

Currently I am fabricating my own holographic plates using a Dichromated Gelatin (DCG) emulsion and coating the emulsion on glass. I have a 5 watt Argon Ion Laser with intra-cavity etalon in which I tune in different frequencies from 457 to 514nm to suit the hologram I wish to make. I expose the holographic plate to the standing wave pattern the reference beam and the object beam produce, recording this standing wave pattern as a series of constructive and destructive area in my film DCG. DCG is a phase material and the exposure to constructive and destructive areas causes the processed DCG to have a series of fringes with differences in index of refraction. It is these differences in index of refraction that takes the illuminating light incident on the final hologram and bends (modulates) it into the exact same wave front that the original object projected. The hologram has a real and virtual image.

 

I make holograms not for display so much but to experiment with different procedures and techniques. I alter emulsion properties, wavelength, exposure energy, standing wave creation geometry and processing techniques.

 

I think the main reason I still love to produce holograms is I love to play with pure light. To be able to control and manipulate light in this fashion is elegantly self gratifying.

 

John

 

Sorry about repeated editing, they were all gramatical.

[Tormod]

Thanks for the great introduction, John!

 

I remember attending a hologram exhibit back in 1989, and I saw a fabulous picture of (I believe it was) Dizzie Gillespie! I still remember the trumpet sort of jumping out of the frame. I understand your fascination with holograms! :rolleyes:

[alexander]

I have a 5 watt Argon Ion Laser with intra-cavity etalon

You just made my list of people i want to be like when i grow up, which is never, but i still want to have a 5 watt Argon Ion Laser!!!!

 

Welcome to hypography, the only place you know, where the geekier the toys you have, the more respect you get from the commons :eek_big:

[johnfp]

:confused: