Holography is a photographic technique that records the light scattered from an object and then presents it in a way that appears three-dimensional. It is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. Holography can be thought of as somewhat similar to sound recording, whereby a sound field created by vibrating matter like musical instruments or vocal cords is encoded in such a way that it can be reproduced later, without the presence of the original vibrating matter.

A hologram is a physical structure that diffracts light into an image. The term ‘hologram’ can refer to both the encoded material and the resulting image. A holographic image can be seen by looking into an illuminated holographic print or by shining a laser through a hologram and projecting the image onto a screen.

Here are some key features of holography:

• A hologram represents a recording of information regarding the light that came from the original scene as scattered in a range of directions rather than from only one direction, as in a photograph. This allows the scene to be viewed from a range of different angles, as if it were still present.
• Holography records the complex amplitude of a wave coming from an object rather than the intensity distribution in the image, as is the case in photography.
• Holography is distinct from specular holography, which is a technique for making three-dimensional images by controlling the motion of specularities on a two-dimensional surface. It works by reflectively or refractively manipulating bundles of light rays, not by using interference and diffraction.

Holographic technology is used in a variety of ways across several industries, including telecommunications, education, and entertainment. The future of holography lies at the intersection of AI, digital human technology, and voice cloning.