Holography and Metamaterials (HaM) Lab

The Holography and Metamaterials Lab, established by Dr. Partha Banerjee in the Department of Electro-Optics and Photonics at the University of Dayton, works on projects in digital holography, surface characterization and topography, 3D fingermarks, 3D volume reflection holograms, and on design of metallo-dielectric filters, metamaterial lenses, etc.  Work on other contemporary areas in optics such as fiber sensors, optical  signal and image processing, 3D displays, novel photorefractive materials and crystal growth are also active areas of interest.  To date, the work has been funded by over $5M in research grants. The research of 4 post-docs, 16 PhDs, 18 MS, and 5 undergraduate students (2 REUs and 3 in joint BS+MS programs) have been supported by the lab.

What is holography?

Holos means whole.  Holography is the science of seeing things in 3D, or the whole object. A hologram is simply an interference pattern created between light reflected or transmitted through an object and a reference wave. Traditional holograms were recorded on films; nowadays, they are recorded on a digital camera, just like your cellphone. Once digitally recorded, it can be electronically processed to show the 3D picture from different perspectives on the computer. 

What are metamaterials?

Meta means artificial. Metamaterials are artificially created materials that may not occur in nature. Sometimes, though, they can be bio-inspired, like butterfly wings.  Metamaterials can have various applications, such as optical filters, flat lenses, etc.  Some may even have a negative refractive index, and can be used for subwavelength imaging.