Hologram apparatus and method

Claim 2

An information handling system comprising a source of coherent light; electro-optic means in the path of at least part of said coherent light for modulating at least part of the light from said coherent light source in accordance with parameters of a subject and in the absence of said subject, said electro-optic means being responsive to electrical inputs to vary light transmission therethrough; a crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of predetermined wave length, said crystal being positioned to receive said modulated light at a predetermined angle of incidence to said crystal; and means for establishing a coherent reference light, said reference light being coherent with the light from said source and being directed to said crystal at a predetermined angle of incidence thereto to intersect said modulated light at said crystal at a predetermined angle; said modulated light and reference light interacting to alter centers in said crystal and to create a hologram in said crystal in accordance with said parameters of a subject and in the absence of exposure of said color center crystal to light from the subject.

Claim 3

An information handling system as in claim 1 including means positioned between said electro-optical means and said crystal for varying the focus of said modulated light to impart a depth factor to said modulated light commensurate with a depth parameter of the subject.

Claim 4

An information handling system as in claim 1 including means for changing the position of the crystal to vary the angles of incidence between said modulated light and said crystal and between said reference light and said crystal to store a plurality of holograms in said crystal.

Claim 5

An information handling system as in claim 3 including means for illuminating said crystal in at least one selected Bragg angle to recreate information stored in at least one selected hologram.

Claim 6

An Information handling system as in claim 1 wherein said electro-optic modulating means includes a plurality of optical fiber wave guides and electrically responsive means for varying light transmission through said wave guides.

Claim 7

An information handling system as in claim 1 wherein said source of coherent light includes a plurality of fiber lasers, and wherein said electro-optical modulating means includes means for controlling lasing of said fibers.

Claim 8

An information handling system as in claim 1 including: means for selectively erasing a hologram in said crystal, said erasing means including a source of coherent erasing light of selected wavelength for erasing altered centers in said crystal; a phase shifter in the path of said erasing light between said source of erasing light and said crystal; a source of coherent erasing reference light, said erasing light and said erasing reference light being incident on said crystal at predetermined angles; and means connected to said phase shifter for shifting the phase of said coherent erasing light.

Claim 9

An information handling system comprising: a crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of predetermined wavelength; a source of coherent information light of selected wavelength to alter centers in said crystal; said crystal being in a light path from said light source; at least a first electro-optic beam deflecting means in said light path between said light source and said crystal for deflecting said information light, said electro-optic means being responsive to electrical inputs to deflect light passing therethrough; means for delivering electrical signals to said deflecting means to deflect said information light in accordance with parameters of a subject and in the absence of the subject; a source of coherent reference light directed to said crystal, said reference light and said information light being mutually coherent and intersecting at said crystal at a predetermined angle with respect to each other and at a predetermined angles with respect to said crystal, and said information light and said reference light interacting to alter centers in said crystal to create a hologram in said crystal commensurate with the subject in the absence of exposure of said crystal to light from the subject; and variable focus means in said light path between said light source and said crystal for imparting depth characteristics of the subject to the hologram.

Claim 10

An information handling system comprising: a crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of predetermined wavelength; a source of coherent information light of selected wavelength to alter centers in said crystal; said crystal being in a light path from said light source; at least a first electro-optic beam deflecting means in said light path between said light source and said crystal for deflecting said information light, said electro-optic means being responsive to electrical inputs to deflect light passing therethrough; means for delivering electrical signals to said deflecting means to deflect said information light in accordance with parameters of a subject and in the absence of the subject; a source of coherent reference light directed to said crystal, said reference light and said information light being mutually coherent and intersecting at said crystal at a predetermined angle with respect to each other and at a predetermined angles with respect to said crystal, and said information light and said reference light interacting to alter centers in said crystal to create a hologram in said crystal commensurate with the subject in the absence of exposure of said crystal to light from the subject; and variable focus means in said light path between said light source and said crystal for imparting depth characteristics of the subject to the hologram.

Claim 11

An information handling system as in claim 8 including second electro-optic beam deflecting means in said light path for deflecting said information light at an angle with respect to the deflection from said first beam deflecting means, and wherein said variable focusing means is between said crystal and said both of said beam deflecting means.

Claim 12

An information handling system as in claim 8 including means for changing the position of the crystal to vary the angles of incidence between said information light and said crystal and said reference light and said crystal to store a plurality of holograms in said crystal.

Claim 13

An information handling system as in claim 8 including means for illuminating said crystal in at least one selected Bragg angle to recreate information stored in at least one selected hologram.

Claim 14

An information handling system as in claim 8 including: means for selectively erasing a hologram in said crystal, said erasing means including a source of coherent erasing light of selected wavelength for erasing altered centers in said crystal; a phase shifter in the path of said erasing light between said source of erasing light and said crystal; a source of coherent erasing reference light, said erasing light and said erasing reference light being incident on said crystal at predetermined angles; and means connected to said phase-shifter for shifting the phase of said coherent erasing light.

Claim 15

An information handling system comprising: A first source of coherent light of a first predetermined wavelength; means for modulating light from said source of coherent light; information storage means including a first crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of said first predetermined wavelength, said first crystal being positioned to receive said modulated light to alter centers in said first crystal to render said altered centers transparent to light of a second predetermined wavelength; a second source of coherent light of a second predetermined wavelength; positioning means including means for placing said first crystal with altered centers in the path of light from said second source of coherent light; a second crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of said second predetermined wavelength, said second crystal being positioned to receive light passed by said first crystal, and a source of coherent reference light directed to intersect said light passed by said first crystal at said second crystal to create a hologram in said second crystal.

Claim 16

An information handling system comprising: A first source of coherent light of a first predetermined wavelength; means for modulating light from said source of coherent light; information storage means including a first crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of said first predetermined wavelength, said first crystal being positioned to receive said modulated light to alter centers in said first crystal to render said altered centers transparent to light of a second predetermined wavelength; a second source of coherent light of a second predetermined wavelength; positioning means including means for placing said first crystal with altered centers in the path of light from said second source of coherent light; a second crystal having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of said second predetermined wavelength, said second crystal being positioned to receive light passed by said first crystal, and a source of coherent reference light directed to intersect said light passed by said first crystal at said second crystal to create a hologram in said second crystal.

Claim 17

An information handling system as in claim 13 wherein said information storage means includes a plurality of first crystals having centers therein of alterable state in response to light of said first predetermined wavelength, said positioning means including means for placing each crystal of said plurality of crystals to receive said modulated light and in the path of said second source of coherent light in predetermined order.

Claim 18

An information handling system as in claim 14 including means for erasing information stored in said first crystals subsequent to each of said first crystals being in the path of said second source of coherent light.