Selected Papers on Computer-generated Holograms and Diffractive Optics

Book excerpt: An important feature of computer generated holograms (CGHs) is to create wavefronts that may be defined only mathematically. Since A. W. Lohmann and his colleagues invented CGHs in 1966 for spatial filtering in image processing, the applications of CGHs have multiplied to include 3-D display, optical testing, diffractive/binary optics, bifocal intraocular lenses, wavefront transformations for material processing, pickup heads for optical disks, focal plane array detection, coherent laser addition, beam steering, and optical interconnects for parallel computing and neural computing. Today, the applications of CGHs continue to expand. This book features a selection of papers that examine different aspects of the development of CGHs from the 1960s through 1990, because there is no substitute for reading the original papers on any subject, even if that subject is mature enough to have many single-aspect monographs and textbooks. It is hoped that this selection of papers will be valuable additions to many working libraries on this expanding, expansive subject.