Abstract

Dispersion compensation is a useful technique for the polychromatic reconstruction of holographic images. The technique is normally applied to thin transmission diffracting elements. In this communication we take a more general approach and use a volume grating analysis that is applicable to both transmission and reflection cases. We consider a system comprising two parallel volume gratings which are assumed to be infinitely large in two dimensions but of finite extent in the third. By assuming that only the component of the Bragg condition in the directions of infinite extent of the gratings need hold, the directions of diffracted beams are ascertained. Three dispersion-compensated systems are found, comprising either two transmission elements, or two reflection elements, or one transmission and one reflection element. The first case is identical to the thin grating result. The latter two cases show that dispersion compensation may be used to reduce residual chromatic blurring in reflection holograms.

© 1986 Optical Society of America