SUMMARY:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed optical diffractive networks that can perform holographic reconstructions at the speed of light without the use of computer processing.
BACKGROUND:
Holographic imaging has been implemented for a diverse field of applications. Holographic Imaging, also known as coherent imaging, has been used to convert holographic images into real space. It is commonly used to visualize nanoscale structures which is essential for the development and quality control of next generation technologies. Holographic imaging works by acquiring imaging data and then computationally reconstructing the real space of the imaged object. The process typically requires assistance from computers to carry out complex algorithms and can be very time consuming. This can be detrimental to the speed and performance of coherent imaging and holographic reconstruction. In order to open up new avenues for holography, novel solutions that improve the speed of the reconstruction process and reduce the reliance on computers must be developed.
INNOVATION:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed a method to design and build diffractive networks that are capable of reconstructing holographic images at the speed of light without the need for a computer or power source. Common issues that have been traditionally solved with complex and time-consuming computer algorithms, such as the twin-image problem, have been eliminated. The method uses a passive all optics processor for holographic reconstruction. This provides near instantaneous holographic reconstruction without power and has been shown to be generalizable and robust to image reconstruction artifacts.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
- Coherent Imaging
- Holographic Displays
- Cabin displays
- AR/VR headsets
- Microscopy
ADVANTAGES:
- No Power Requirements
- Near Instantaneous Holographic Reconstruction
- Generalizable to New Objects
- Computer-Free
- Robustly Eliminates Twin-image Artifacts
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
All-Optical Hologram Reconstruction using Diffractive Networks has been successfully demonstrated using a variety of holographic images.
RELATED PAPERS:
Related Papers: S.S. Rahman, and A. Ozcan, “Computer-free, all-optical reconstruction of holograms using diffractive networks,” ACS Photonics (2021) https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01365
Luo, Y., Zhao, Y., Li, J. et al. Computational imaging without a computer: seeing through random diffusers at the speed of light. eLight 2, 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43593-022-00012-4