A new optical arrangement that creates high efficiency, high quality Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography (FINCH) holograms using transmission liquid crystal GRIN (TLCGRIN) diffractive lenses has been invented. This is in contrast to the universal practice in the field of using a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) to separate sample and reference beams. Polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses enable a straight optical path, have 95% transmission efficiency, are analog devices without pixels and are free of many limitations of reflective SLM devices. An additional advantage is that they create an incoherent holographic system that is achromatic over a wide bandwidth. Two spherical beams created by the combination of a glass and a polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses interfere and a hologram is recorded by a digital camera. FINCH configurations which increase signal to noise ratios and imaging speed are also described.

A new optical arrangement that creates high efficiency, high quality Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography (FINCH) holograms using transmission liquid crystal GRIN (TLCGRIN) diffractive lenses has been invented. This is in contrast to the universal practice in the field of using a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) to separate sample and reference beams. Polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses enable a straight optical path, have 95% transmission efficiency, are analog devices without pixels and are free of many limitations of reflective SLM devices. An additional advantage is that they create an incoherent holographic system that is achromatic over a wide bandwidth. Two spherical beams created by the combination of a glass and a polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses interfere and a hologram is recorded by a digital camera. FINCH configurations which increase signal to noise ratios and imaging speed are also described.

In one embodiment, a digital holography system includes logic configured to receive raw interferograms obtained by illuminating an object field with incoherent light, the raw interferograms comprising multiple phase-shifted raw interferograms for each of multiple different colors, logic configured to combine like-colored raw interferograms to generate a separate complex hologram for each different color, logic configured to combine the separate complex holograms to generate a full-color complex hologram, and logic configured to reconstruct a full-color holographic image of the object field.

In one embodiment, a digital holography system includes logic configured to receive raw interferograms obtained by illuminating an object field with incoherent light, the raw interferograms comprising multiple phase-shifted raw interferograms for each of multiple different colors, logic configured to combine like-colored raw interferograms to generate a separate complex hologram for each different color, logic configured to combine the separate complex holograms to generate a full-color complex hologram, and logic configured to reconstruct a full-color holographic image of the object field.

In one embodiment, a self-interference incoherent digital holography system including a light sensor and a diffractive filter configured to receive light from an object to be holographically imaged and generate holographic interference patterns on the light sensor. A self-interference incoherent digital holography system comprising: a light sensor; and a diffractive filter configured to receive light from an object to be holographically imaged and generate holographic interference patterns on the sensor.

In one embodiment, a self-interference incoherent digital holography system including a light sensor and a diffractive filter configured to receive light from an object to be holographically imaged and generate holographic interference patterns on the light sensor. A self-interference incoherent digital holography system comprising: a light sensor; and a diffractive filter configured to receive light from an object to be holographically imaged and generate holographic interference patterns on the sensor.

A hologram image acquiring apparatus may include: a linear polarizer that filters incident light reflected by an object into a polarized component of a specific angle; a spherical lens that partially converts light that is incident through the linear polarizer to a spherical waveform; and a phase shifter that converts a part of the light incident through the spherical lens to a plane waveform having a different phase per pixel unit.

A hologram image acquiring apparatus may include: a linear polarizer that filters incident light reflected by an object into a polarized component of a specific angle; a spherical lens that partially converts light that is incident through the linear polarizer to a spherical waveform; and a phase shifter that converts a part of the light incident through the spherical lens to a plane waveform having a different phase per pixel unit.

In one embodiment, a color holographic image is created by generating a separate complex hologram for each of multiple different colors of an object field illuminated with incoherent light, combining the separate complex holograms to obtain a color complex hologram, and generating a reconstructed color holographic image of the object field.

In one embodiment, a color holographic image is created by generating a separate complex hologram for each of multiple different colors of an object field illuminated with incoherent light, combining the separate complex holograms to obtain a color complex hologram, and generating a reconstructed color holographic image of the object field.