ELECTRO-OPTICS  LABORATORY

A new method of synthesizing computer-generated holograms of three-dimensional (3-D) objects is proposed. Several projections of the 3-D object are numerically processed to yield a two dimensional complex function, which is then encoded as a computer-generated hologram. When this hologram is illuminated by a plane wave, a 3-D real image of the object is reconstructed. Although the hologram initially belongs to the type of Fourier holograms, Fresnel and image holograms are also generated by computing the propagation of the wave front from the Fourier plane to any other desired plane. Computer and optical constructions of 3-D objects, both of which show the feasibility of the proposed approach, are presented herein.