A system that contains a semi-ellipsoidal SLM holder supporting a plurality of flat rectangular SLMs, which are placed onto the semi-ellipsoidal surface of the holder in the most surface-covering way. The system contains a coherent light source placed in the first focal point of the ellipsoid. The second focal point of the ellipsoid defines the area in which an image-receiving object is to be placed. All the SLMs are illuminated by a diverging light beam emitted from the coherent light source. In each SLM, the light is subjected to phase-amplitude modulation and is converted into an image-carrying beam, which convergently fells onto the object on which the target image is to be produced. Thus, a pattern is formed on the object by a maskless method in which a plurality of SLMs are combined into a common image-forming holographic unit.

There is herein defined optics (e.g. an array of optics) forming an optical beam to either produce a collimated or diverging/converging beam emerging from a virtual source point to illuminate a hologram. There is also described an optical beam illuminating a reflection hologram from the front and a further configuration where an optical beam combined with a holographic optical element (HOE) minor enables rear illumination of a reflection hologram.

A method for producing a computer-generated hologram, including the method steps of generating a reference beam, generating an object beam, imprinting computer-generated information pertaining to the hologram to the object beam, and overlapping of the object beam and the reference beam on or in a photosensitive recording medium for imprinting the hologram, wherein successively a plurality of portions of the photosensitive recording medium are simultaneously impinged upon with the object beam and the reference beam to produce a plurality of sub-holograms, and wherein the angle of incidence at which the reference beam is incident on the surface of a first portion of the recording medium is different from the angle of incidence at which the reference beam impinges upon the surface of a second portion of the recording medium.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a full-color holographic optical element in a full-color holographic optical element manufacturing apparatus including a lens and a holographic recording medium located farther away than a focal length of the lens, the method including: allowing a signal beam including a mixture of laser beams having wavelengths of R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) to be incident on the lens; and recording a hologram in such a manner that a reference beam including a mixture of laser beams having wavelengths of R, G, and B is allowed to be incident on the holographic recording medium, wherein the holographic recording medium is configured with a single medium.

A volumetric display system including a volumetric display for displaying a scene viewable as a three-dimensional floating-in-the-air scene in a display space, enabling a user to reach a first object into the display space, a location determination unit locating real objects in the display space, providing a location of the first object when the first object is inserted into the display space, and a computer for receiving the location of the first object, detecting when the location of the first object is at a location where an object is displayed in the three-dimensional scene, thereby determining that the first object is viewable as touching the displayed object following a detection of the first object viewable as touching the displayed object, producing a new three-dimensional scene displaying the displayed object as if manipulated by the first object. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying images, and for implementing volumetric user interfaces. One exemplary embodiment provides a system comprising: a light source; an image producing unit, which produces an image upon interaction with light approaching the image producing unit from the light source; an eyepiece; and a mirror, directing light from the image to a surface of the eyepiece, wherein the surface has a shape of a solid of revolution formed by revolving a planar curve at least 180 around an axis of revolution.

A display method lets a display beam to propagate in a transparent substrate while internally reflected repeatedly and lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected, thereby emitting display beams from almost entirety of a surface of the transparent substrate. The display beam is produced holographically. A display apparatus includes a spatial phase modulator that produces a display beam, a transparent substrate in which the display beam is internally reflected repeatedly to propagate in it, and a splitter that lets the display beam partly emit out of the transparent substrate every time the display beam is internally reflected.

Disclosed are optical interrogation apparatus that can produce lens-free images using an optoelectronic sensor array to generate a holographic image of sample objects, such as microorganisms in a sample. Also disclosed are methods of detecting and/or identifying microorganisms in a biological sample, such as microorganisms present in low levels. Also disclosed are methods of using systems to detect microorganisms in a biological sample, such as microorganisms present in low levels. In addition or as an alternative, the methods of using systems may identify microorganisms present in a sample and/or determine antimicrobial susceptibility of such microorganisms.

An optical measurement system capable of suppressing noise and realizing more accurate measurement is provided. The optical measurement system includes a light source, an image sensor, and an optical system including a beam splitter that divides light from the light source into first light and second light. The optical system can configure a first optical system that records with the image sensor, a first hologram resulting from modulation of first light with second light while there is no sample, the second light being diverging light, and a second optical system that records with the image sensor, a second hologram resulting from modulation with second light, of light obtained by illumination of a sample with first light. The second optical system includes a restriction mechanism that restricts spread of the light obtained by illumination of the sample with first light to be kept within a predetermined range.

An optical scanning holography system includes a polarization-sensitive lens configured to receive a linearly polarized beam and generate a first spherical wave of right-handed circular polarized light having a negative focal length and a second spherical wave of left-handed circular polarized light having a positive focal length, a first polarizer configured to pass only a beam component therethrough in a predetermined polarization direction among components of the generated first and second spherical waves, a scanning unit configured to scan an object by using an interference beam generated between the first and second spherical waves passing through the first polarizer, and a first photodetector configured to detect a beam reflected from the object.