Holography as a tool for advanced learning of optics and photonics

Laboratory works on holograms recording, reconstruction and interpretation are useful for two reasons. Firstly, holography is widely used in science and engineering. Secondly, training labs in holography require complex applying of knowledge on interference, diffraction, coherency and other domains of optics. Educational kit and methodological instructions for optical experiments were presented in the previous paper 1. The desktop holographic camera described in this paper is one of the additional functional units of the kit. The desktop holographic camera does not require additional protection against vibrations even if the exposure time is several minutes. This is a compact holographic installation for recording Denisyuk holograms. Two experiments are described in the paper to illustrate the usefulness of holographic laboratory works. The first one is a recording and reconstruction of a Denisyuk hologram. The second one is a recording and interpretation of a double-exposure interferogram when the holoplate is sagged due to loading between exposures. Also included in the paper are holographic setup and laboratory works on digital holography. These experiments require, in addition, complex applying of knowledge on photo receivers, CCD and other domains of photonics.