Effect of the photographic process on the intensity of hologram reconstructions

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Rochester. College of Engineering and Applied Science. Institute of Optics, 1967.A theoretical study shows that the intensity and contrast of a hologram reconstruction depend on the gamma of the photographic process. It is shown that only if the contrast of the fringes in the hologram is very low is the intensity of the reconstruction directly proportional to the intensity of the object, regardless of the value of gamma. Several holograms of different exposures are superimposed on a photographic plate. The ratios of the intensities of the reconstructions of the different holograms are measured and are found to be smaller than predicted by theory. However, the theory is valid only if the H&D curve of the photographic process is straight, and it is shown experimentally that the H&D curve is not exactly straight. Evidence is given to indicate that the error introduced by the curvature of the H&D curve is of the same magnitude as is found to exist between the measured and the calculated intensity ratios