Wavefront reconstruction photography

Abstract

Wavefront reconstruction, or holography, is a fascinating photographic process which is a major departure from conventional photography. In this process, discovered in 1947 by D. Gabor of Imperial College, London, the photosensitive device does not directly record an image of the subject; instead, the electromagnetic waves reflected or scattered from the subject are recorded as a standing wave pattern. The resulting photographic record is called a hologram (from the Greek word holos, meaning whole), a name given by Professor Gabor to indicate that the whole, or entirety, of the wave pattern is recorded.