In the rapidly growing field of fine-arts holography, artists are testing the limits of the medium as a graphics device. Galleries such as Elusive Image at Underground Atlanta and the Museum of Holography in New York are dazzling visitors with a unique blend of art and technology. In fact, Elusive Image is working on holographic displays for a haunted house. Another kind of hologram is found on F-16 fighter jets. The heads-up display uses a holographic emulsion on a glass optic that is sandwiched between the layers of windshield glass.
Holographic couplers transfer certain information from the vehicle's sensors to the optic.
Hartman adds that the technology has also been adapted to automobiles for displaying speed, gauges and trouble lights. Scientific Applications olograms are highly specific, like a fingerprint, to an object at a particular point in time, which makes the technology useful in commercial applications such as non-destruction testing. Holograms of structural elements, electronic components, nuclear fuel rods and a virtually limitless number of other items can reveal hidden manufacturing flaws or dangerous signs of wear. These instruments separate light into wavelength components for spectral analysis, says Hartman. The advantages of the holographic process are our ability to fabricate the gratings with specific diffraction characteristics, gratings of large surface area, and enhanced fabrication ease.