The influence of the photochemical process on the signal-to-noise ratio of diffuse-object holograms

Abstract

Current theoretical models used in the calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio of diffuse object holograms ate based on the hypothesis of linearity between the index modulation and exposure. Due to this fact, it is generally concluded that there is a relationship between signal-to-noise ratio and diffraction efficiency. In this paper we show experimentally that by correctly choosing the photochemical process to be used, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved without producing a decrease in diffraction efficiency. As a final conclusion, we suggest the possibility of obtaining diffuse object holograms with a diffraction efficiency of 25% and a signal-to-noise ratio of 100.