Wang, a PhD student at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering, said: “As a child, I learned about the concept of holographic imaging from the Star Wars movies. It's really cool to be working on an invention that uses the principles of holography depicted in those movies."
Holograms perform the most complex manipulations of light. They enable the storing and reproduction of all information carried by light in 3D.
While research in holography plays an important role in the development of futuristic displays and augmented reality devices, the researchers claim that these devices could replace bulky components to miniaturise cameras and save costs in astronomical missions by reducing the size and weight of optical systems on space craft.
“This new material is transparent, which means it loses minimal energy from the light, and it also does complex manipulations with light,” explained Dr Sergey Kruk, Co-lead researcher at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering. “Our ability to structure materials at the nanoscale allows the device to achieve new optical properties that go beyond the properties of natural materials. The holograms that we made demonstrate the strong potential of this technology to be used in a range of applications.”
