Photorefractive Polymers for an Updatable Holographic Display – Cory Christenson

Date: Mon. October 24th, 2011, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
Location: Rockefeller 221

Holography is a technique commonly used to display objects in three-dimensions, as it has the potential to accurately reproduce all features of the light from a real object. Holographic telepresence has been a compelling fantasy for decades, but modern science has failed to deliver such a system, primarily due to the computational power required and the lack of a suitable recording material. I will discuss my graduate work at the University of Arizona on the use of organic photorefractive polymers as a medium for updatable 3D holographic displays. These exhibit a reversible index change in response to light, and the wavelength sensitivity can be modified using different chromophores, making them attractive for holographic telepresence applications. I will review the current state-of-the-art in 3D displays, show our results of near real-time, multi-color, full parallax, and large area holograms, and discuss material modifications to improve the sensitivity.