Using holography to measure particle extinction and surface topography

Abstract

Since its conception, holography has been applied to everything from microscopy and interferometry to art and security. Two separate applications of holography are discussed in detail. In the first project, holography is used to obtain a measurement of the extinction cross section of various micron sized particles, which are compared to the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) cross sectional values. We are also interested in the structure of ``fairy castles'', a model developed to explain the photometric behavior of the surface of the moon. A holographic solution in conjunction with phase unwrapping is obtained, and the basics of phase unwrapping are discussed.