Elimination of zero-order diffraction in digital off-axis holography

A simple experimental method of eliminating zero-order diffraction in the reconstructed image of off-axis digital holography is presented. Holographic diffraction grating acting as a beam splitter, an off-axis holography system is formed. The holograms of object with different recording parameters are obtained by adjusting the reflecting mirror in the recording optical system to vary the incidence orientation of the object beam in CCD to introduce a phase shift. The zero-order image can be eliminated by numerically processing the holograms of object with different recording parameters. The theoretical analyses have been done in detail and the experimental results are also given. The zero-order image eliminated, the area of reconstructed image increases remarkably, the image quality can then be significantly improved and the better resolution obtained. The experimental results show that the method presented in this paper is feasible, simple in optical system and easy in operation and data processing.