hologram

American  

[hol-uh-gram, hoh-luh-] / ˈhɒl əˌgræm, ˈhoʊ lə- /

noun

Optics.

1. a negative produced by exposing a high-resolution photographic plate, without camera or lens, near a subject illuminated by monochromatic, coherent radiation, as from a laser: when it is placed in a beam of coherent light a true three-dimensional image of the subject is formed.

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hologram British  

/ ˈhɒləˌɡræm /

noun

1. a photographic record produced by illuminating the object with coherent light (as from a laser) and, without using lenses, exposing a film to light reflected from this object and to a direct beam of coherent light. When interference patterns on the film are illuminated by the coherent light a three-dimensional image is produced

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hologram Scientific  

/ hŏl′ə-grăm′,hō′lə- /

1. A three-dimensional image of an object made by holography.

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Closer Look

To produce a simple hologram, a beam of coherent, monochromatic light, such as that produced by a laser, is split into two beams. One part, the object or illumination beam, is directed onto the object and reflected onto a high-resolution photographic plate. The other part, the reference beam, is beamed directly onto the photographic plate. The interference pattern of the two light beams is recorded on the plate. When the developed hologram is illuminated from behind (in the same direction as the original reference beam) by a beam of coherent light, it projects a three-dimensional image of the original object in space, shifting in perspective when viewed from different angles. Appropriately enough, the word hologram comes from the Greek words holos, “whole,” and gramma, “message.” If a hologram is cut into pieces, each piece projects the entire image, but as if viewed from a smaller subset of angles. The large amount of information contained in holograms makes them harder to forge than two-dimensional images. Many credit cards, CDs, sports memorabilia, and other items include holographic stickers as indicators of authenticity. Holography is used in many fields, including medicine, data storage, architecture, engineering, and the arts.

Etymology

Origin of hologram

First recorded in 1945–50; holo- + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

And, to me, holograms are just like Zooms today.

From Los Angeles Times

For the shocking message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents that upends his entire identity, “We used a very cutting-edge technique called ‘4D Gaussian splatting’ that allows us to record a real hologram,” says Ceretti.

From Los Angeles Times

A man mourns the loss of his dead celebrity mom, who unexpectedly appears before him as a hologram in his childhood home, singing and strumming a guitar.

From Los Angeles Times

A hologram of neon greens, reds, and yellows explodes from the puck, making my eyes ache.

From Literature

“And they let you blend the physical and digital worlds together with holograms.”

From Los Angeles Times