Introduction to Holography, Vincent Toal, CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL, 2012. $99.95 (472 pp.). ISBN 978-1-4398-1868-8
Last year was the 50th anniversary of Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks’s seminal demonstration of holography, the concept that was developed in the 1940s by Dennis Gabor and that earned him the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics. Since that crucial 1962 demonstration, numerous books have been published that deal with different facets of holography. I vividly recall my own first steps; the excellent textbook Optical Holography (Academic Press, 1971) by Robert Collier, Christoph Burckhardt, and Lawrence Lin was a helpful tutor. And yet, even now, the field is far from mature. As proof, consider such impressive recent innovations and practical implementations as digital holographic microscopy, incoherent holography, x-ray holography, holographic television, and holographic tweezers. Consequently, there is room enough for a new book on the technique.
Seeking to fill that void is Dublin Institute of Technology professor Vincent Toal, who can look back to 30 years of teaching and research in optics and holography. Readers will get a sense of that experience from every page of his new text, Introduction to Holography. In its outline, the book is reasonably conventional. Part 1 covers the basics of optics; part 2, principles of holography; part 3, practical uses of holography; and part 4, technological applications of holography. But the execution of part 4, my favorite, is rather novel. It goes beyond discussions in existing textbooks by focusing on state-of-the-art developments of both classical and more advanced holographic applications.
It’s certainly a matter of taste as to which applications must be treated and which could be omitted without loss of integrity or novelty. In my opinion, the author has found a good compromise between traditional and emerging ones. The book discusses most of the aforementioned holographic innovations. It also presents solid explanations and will encourage the use of such frequently discussed applications as holographic displays, holographic data storage and information processing, computer-generated holograms, and polarization holography. Chapter 15 has a nice section about Nils Abramson’s light-in-flight principle and provides a welcome way to bring the elegant visualization of holography into the classroom.
Introduction to Holography is far from being light fare. But the author presents the mathematical derivation for every basic equation that is used in the book. Moreover, the spirit of the subject is not lost in the equations; the author clearly and carefully explains the physics behind the mathematics and offers sophisticated guidance for experimental work. Problems and references for further reading are provided at the end of each chapter.
Toal has written a welcome reference for experienced explorers of the holographic wonderland. But his book will also serve another important purpose brought to mind by the Ludwig Wittgenstein quote he uses at the front of the book: “Explanations come to an end somewhere.” Toal’s clear presentation provides a starting point for students and other newcomers and might help orient them toward research that will uncover new explanations. In any event, the text is proof that, unlike explanations, holography is far from coming to an end.
