Applications of Holography in Fluid Mechanics and Particle Dynamics

TLDR

Quantifying 3D flow structures and particle dynamics is essential for revealing complex interactions in turbulent flows, and recent mathematical developments enable numerical reconstruction of digital holograms and 3D particle tracking. This review summarizes recent advances in volumetric particle detection and 3D flow velocimetry using holography, focusing on in‑line digital holography and digital holographic microscopy. The authors introduce holography's fundamental principle, discuss the depth‑of‑focus problem, and outline numerical reconstruction methods and 3D particle tracking techniques that overcome this limitation. Applications highlighted include fully resolved 3D velocity measurements in turbulent boundary layers, oil droplet diffusion in high‑Reynolds turbulence, predator‑prey interactions in dense microorganism suspensions, and oceanic and atmospheric field experiments.

Abstract

The quantification of three-dimensional (3D) flow structures and particle dynamics is crucial for unveiling complex interactions in turbulent flows. This review summarizes recent advances in volumetric particle detection and 3D flow velocimetry involving holography. We introduce the fundamental principle of holography and discuss the debilitating depth-of-focus problem, along with methods that have been implemented to circumvent it. The focus of this review is on recent advances in the development of in-line digital holography in general, and digital holographic microscopy in particular. A mathematical background for the numerical reconstruction of digital holograms is followed by a summary of recently introduced 3D particle tracking and velocity measurement techniques. The review concludes with sample applications, including 3D velocity measurements that fully resolve the flow in the inner part of a turbulent boundary layer, the diffusion of oil droplets in high–Reynolds number turbulence, and predator-prey interactions among swimming microorganisms in dense suspensions, as well as oceanic and atmospheric field experiments.