A microscope comprising a coherent light source producing a coherent light beam, a light beam guide system comprising a beam splitter configured to split the coherent light beam into a reference beam and a sample illumination beam, a sample holder configured to hold a sample to be observed, a sample illumination device configured to direct the sample illumination beam through the sample and into a microscope objective, a beam reuniter configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample to be observed, and a light sensing system configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the coherent light beam downstream of the beam reuniter.

A method and an illumination arrangement for generating image effects in the interior of a motor vehicle or also outside the motor vehicle. To use existing installation space as efficiently as possible, light is radiated, in the form of at least a first optical reference wave field, onto a irradiation surface that is arranged laterally on an optical image storage device. In the optical image storage, which contains a holographic layer or a diffractive optical layer, the optical reference wave field is transformed into at least a first image wave field and is emitted on an emission side, at a first angular offset with respect to the irradiation surface.

Methods, apparatus, devices, and systems for displaying three-dimensional objects by individually diffracting different colors of light are provided. In one aspect, a system includes a display having a plurality of display elements and an optical device configured to diffract a plurality of different colors of light to the display. The optical device is configured such that, when the plurality of different colors of light is incident on the optical device, the optical device separates light of individual colors of the different colors while suppressing crosstalk between the different colors.

An optical element is configured to be worn in front of an eye of a wearer. The optical element has two main surfaces and includes at least one holographic diffusive element having diffusive properties resulting from spatial variations of refractive index of said holographic diffusive element. The spatial variation of refractive index is greater than 0.001 at at least one given wavelength, on a distance less than 30 μm. An optical equipment includes the optical element and methods for recording a holographic medium onto an optical lens.

A lightguide includes an incoupler configured to receive light emitted from a microdisplay and to direct the received light into the lightguide, a first non-planar major surface and a second non-planar major surface configured to reflect the light directed into the lightguide by the incoupler, and an outcoupler comprising a non-planar, angle selective hologram configured to receive light reflected from at least one of the first major surface and the second major surface and to selectively direct the light out of the lightguide based on the angle of incidence at the hologram.

A system includes a plurality of optical identifiers and a reader for the optical identifiers. Each optical identifier has an optical substrate and a volume hologram (e.g., with unique data, such as a code page) in the optical substrate. The reader for the optical identifiers includes an illumination source (e.g., a laser), and a camera. The illumination source is configured to direct light into a selected one of the optical identifiers that has been placed into the reader to produce an image of the associated volume holograms at the camera. The camera is configured to capture the image. The captured image may be stored in a digital format by the system.

Example embodiments provide digital holographic techniques and associated systems for imaging through scattering media in a strictly one-sided observation in which the observer (e.g. the controller of the camera) has no access to the object plane nor does the observer introduce a fluorescing agent to the object plane. An example imaging system comprises a laser source, a digital sensor array, and a processing system. The processing system transmits light from the laser source to a target object; detects interference formed on the digital sensor array by a reference beam from the transmitted light and reflected light from the target object, the reflected light either travelling through or being reflected by a scattering medium located between the target object and the digital sensor array; jointly estimating, based on the detected interference, parameters defining the scattering behavior of the particular scattering medium and an image of the target object; and outputting the jointly estimated scattering parameters and an image of the target object.

A method to form a three-dimensional photonic crystal template with a gradient structure involves irradiating a photoresist composition of a thickness of at least 15 μm from at least four laser beams to yield a periodic patterned with a percolating matrix of mass in constructive volumes of a cured photoresist composition and destructive volumes of voids free of condensed matter where the proportion of constructive volume displays a gradient from the irradiated surface to the substrate after development. For a given light intensity, photoinitiator concentration in the photoresist composition, and a given thickness, by irradiating for a relatively short period, a three-dimensional photonic crystal template displaying a gradient having greater constructive volume proximal the air interface forms and a relatively long irradiation period results in a gradient having greater constructive volume proximal the substrate.

A holographic optical element and a manufacturing method thereof, an image reconstruction method, and augmented reality glasses are disclosed. The holographic optical element includes a substrate, and a recording material layer in which at least two groups of interference fringes are recorded; each group includes a first interference fringe formed by a first signal light and a first reference light respectively incident from opposite sides of the recording material layer, and a second interference fringe formed by a second signal light and a second reference light respectively incident from opposite sides of the recording material layer; the second signal light passes through a lens before incidence; incident angles of the first signal light and the second reference light are equal; incident directions of the first signal light corresponding to respective groups are different, and focal lengths of the lenses are not equal.

An optical coupler includes a plurality of volume gratings in a substrate. The gratings include an array of fringes extending along length and thickness dimensions of the substrate. A difference between a refractive index of the fringes and a refractive index of the substrate depends on a depth coordinate along the thickness dimension of the substrate. A dependence of the difference on the depth coordinate has a bell-shaped function which suppresses ghost image formation due to optical crosstalk between gratings of neighboring spatial pitches.