is its three-dimensional nature, which

is much different than a perspective

change on a photograph.

We call many things holograms, but many are not.

For example, many 3D projections,

such as when they brought back Michael Jackson,

is just a optical illusion where it's

a projection of that individual.

This is something we call Pepper's ghost.

I'm here offering an IAP course here at MIT

called Hands-On Holography.

We cover geometrical optics.

We cover the electromagnetic spectrum.

We generate our own optical holograms as well as

audio holograms, and we get into computational holograms

as well.

A big takeaway from this class is really

understanding the wave mechanics of light

and the electromagnetic spectrum.

If we look at the two words in a hologram,

it means "whole writing."

And we take into account a special nature

of light, which we call phase, and recorded it on a film plate

using an interference pattern to recreate an entire scene

in its entirety.

People think of anything that appears three dimensional to be

a hologram, but if it doesn't contain that phase nature,

it is not a hologram.

We have individuals ranging from art majors to engineers.

We've even had some MIT staff themselves take this course.

And we try to really give a intuitive feel for what

is going on with holograms and interference patterns

in general.

I'm an optical engineer.

I enjoy the wave nature of light.

What makes holography really special

is that we're able to extract that phase

nature and that extra information and make use of it.