Controlling image size as a function of distance and wavelength in Fresnel-transform reconstruction of digital holograms

A method for controlling the size of amplitude and phase images reconstructed from digital holograms by the Fresnel-transform method is proposed and demonstrated. The method can provide a constant reconstruction pixel width in the reconstructed image plane, independent of the recording and reconstruction distance. The proposed method makes it possible to maintain the size of an object for a sequence of digital holograms recorded at different distances and, therefore, to subtract phase maps for an object recorded at different distances. Furthermore, the method solves the problem of superimposition in multiwavelength digital holography for color display and holographic interferometry applications. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.