Light-in-flight recording: high-speed holographic motion pictures of ultrafast phenomena

Abstract

Holographic recordings have been made using lasers of short coherence and pulse length. Continuous frameless moving pictures show the wave front (pulse front) of light reflected by a mirror and focused by a lens. Light passing through interferometers has also been studied using this new method of dynamic observation. Cross sections between a thin sheet of light and a 3-D object have been recorded to demonstrate the possibilities of contouring. Finally a number of future experiments are proposed ranging from the measurements of industrial products to the study of relativistic effects.