Shroud of Turin Laser Holography ...
* Lasers can help with Shroud research
* Holograms can be duplicated
* Exact 3D copies of Shroud in all aspects
* Completely non-destructive to actual Turin Shroud
By FRANK DEFREITAS for WONDERS OF THE BIBLE
PUBLISHED: October 1, 2019 | UPDATED: October 1, 2019
Proof-of-concept:
The Nobel prize-winning field of holography gives us the ability to continue true, spatial 3D visual examination of the Holy Shroud of Turin -- long after it has been returned to its safekeeping.Hello, my name is Frank DeFreitas, and I would like to welcome you to Wonders of the Bible.
To begin, it is of paramount importance for the reader to not confuse what is known as the "photographic evidence" with the "holographic evidence". The two are completely different. It is also important to not get your information on holograms from anyone who has not actually worked with holography, as (1) contrary to popular belief, there is little in common between photography and holography, and (2) there continues to be vast amounts of inaccurate information concerning what a hologram is, and isn't.
While the method of photography provides for the capture and recording of brightness and contrast, the method of holography adds an additional element of dimension: through the constructive and destructive interference of a spatially coherent light source. It is this aspect of holography that we will be discussing with regards to the Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud of Turin has always been a somewhat limited resource for scientists in that access for physical examination is heavily restricted. Visual examination relies on already-existing, traditional, photographic documentation. I propose that the non-destructive recording of laser 3D holograms of linen fibers could provide an opportunity to break this long-held scientific and technological investigative barrier.
(above): The Holy Shroud of Turin (anterior).
I have no authority or expertise concerning the past history of scientific and technical investigations into the Shroud of Turin. I would suggest that you access the vast amount of information online, or in print, for that information. I can say that the Shroud of Turin (as known as the Holy Shroud) is an ancient linen cloth that measures 14'3" long (4.36m long and 1.10m wide). It contains an "image" of a man who has been, according to visual information, beaten and crucified. It contains both the anterior (front) and posterior (back) images. Therefore, it is believed that the man was laid upon the cloth, and then the cloth was folded over him.
The image is recorded onto only the very most top surface of each fiber, with a depth of approx. 0.02 - 0.06 micron. Having worked with wavelengths of light my entire adult life, I find this particular aspect truly astonishing.
It is believed by proponents to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, and a physical testament / record of his crucifixion and resurrection.
It is believed by opponents to be a forgery, with various dates and methods of creation.
Whether or not you believe that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ, it remains the most scientifically studied artifact in world history.
(above): For my Shroud of Turin presentations and exhibits, I bring along very rare historical artifacts. Shown here is an authentic, original Shroud of Turin photograph taken by Secondo Pia in 1898 (top), a life-size 3D computer generated lenticular photograph of the face in the Shroud (bottom, left), and a commemorative silk fabric (only 100 made) which was touched to the Shroud during its 1898 exhibition in Turin, Italy (bottom, right). Each piece is an extraordinary artifact in the history of the Shroud of Turin.
What is Holography?
Holography is a Nobel prize-winning field of optical physics (awarded to Dr. Dennis Gabor, 1971). Unlike other 3D stereographic technologies that have preceded it, holography provides true 3-dimensional SPATIAL imaging. In other words, the recorded object has true three dimensions *in measurable, physical space* ... not just a visual representation of 3D from 2D sources. It is also the highest resolution imaging technology in the world today. Holographic emulsions, whether silver-halide or photopolymer, support up to 10,000 lines/mm of resolving power. This does not mean that the holographic information is recorded via lines, as is often represented elsewhere on the Internet. It only means that 10,000 lines per millimeter can be resolved due to the minute size of the individual silver grains, or the cross linking of molecules in a polymer. The information is recorded spatially throughout whatever media is used, silver-halide or photopolymer.
It is also important to remember that a hologram not only records the objects in 3D, but also captures the 3D space *between* the objects. Many people focus on what they can see in a hologram, but the empty space that they can't see is captured there as well. Some would ask how one can capture "nothing" such as empty space. It is possible because empty space isn't nothing ... it is, after all, *space*. If it is possible for gravitational waves to distort space, then it is certainly possible for a hologram to record space.
Now happily retired, I have had over 35 years working with lasers and holograms in my holography studio / lab in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. That's an entire adult life time. As a child, I first experienced holography in 1968 at Edmund Scientific in Barrington, New Jersey. I am still active giving presentations, live in our retirement residence, and no longer have my original lab. However, in 2018, I received a wonderful donation of a portable holography system that permits me to remain active making holograms, and to continue experimenting.
To give credit where credit is due, this is not the first time that holography / holograms have been applied to Shroud research. Within the past decade, there have been other holograms made, most notably the famous "3D Face in the Shroud", the master H1 laser transmission hologram being produced by my friend in holography, Dr. Walter Speirings, founder of Dutch Holographic Laboratories. I am the proud owner of one of his early, original, large-format glass-plate computer-generated Face in the Shroud holograms (and include it when I give presentations).
However, for our purposes here today, keep in mind that these are known as display holograms: projects for showcasing the dimensional properties embedded into the image in the shroud. They do not provide the ability to examine the fibers of the cloth itself under high powered microscopes in three dimensions ... primarily due to the holograms originating from the 1931 photographs of Giuseppe Enrie, rather than the physical Shroud itself.
(above): Frank DeFreitas with the Face in the Shroud hologram produced at Dutch Holographic Laboratories under the direction of Dr. Walter Speirings, and his amazing holo printer. It is the only true SPATIAL rendition of the Shroud that occupies a true volume of space. ALL other techniques and resulting 3D imagery up until this hologram provide only a *representation* of 3D, i.e. the results are still shown on a flat, 2D surface.
Through a process known as depth-mapping, any 2D image can be made into a *simulated* 3D image with modern technology. To give the 3D Face in the Shroud hologram extra credit, it should be pointed out that the Shroud ITSELF is a depth mapped image, all on its own. This is a very important aspect. At the same time, it is still a visual representation of 3-dimensions extracted from a 2-dimensional source image. The face in the Shroud itself, per se, is not a hologram, nor is it 3D.
Through a process known as depth-mapping, any 2D image can be made into a *simulated* 3D image with modern technology. To give the 3D Face in the Shroud hologram extra credit, it should be pointed out that the Shroud image ITSELF is a depth mapped image, all on its own. This is a very important aspect. At the same time, the face in the Shroud hologram is still a visual representation of 3-dimensions extracted from a 2-dimensional source image. The face in the Shroud itself, per se, is not a hologram, nor is it 3D. If you made a hologram of the face directly from the Shroud, it would still be a 2-dimensional face … a hologram is not going to make the face 3D ... but the physical fibers would be.
The difference with DIRECT holography is that it provides REAL dimension in REAL space. One of the advantages of a true hologram is depth of field. Parallax is another. One will never detect any measurable physical space in ANY 3D movie or photo: lenticular, anaglyph, stereograph, View-Master, or other. With a hologram, if something is recorded in the distance it functions just as if it were really in the distance. If you wear glasses for distance vision, and you take your glasses off, the object far off in the hologram will blur ... just as it would blur if it, and you, were physically there. That -- T-H-A-T -- is the DIFFERENCE between holograms and the simulated 3D of ALL OTHER METHODS.
3D Laser Imaging Technologies:
A New Approach to Holy Shroud Visual Examination
In the year 1978, many scientists and technicians were granted unprecedented access to the Shroud of Turin for examination. At the time, technology for recording holograms would have been much too cumbersome. Large, heavy vibration isolation tables, lasers and optics were the norm in 1978. My own holography optics table weighed 1.5 *TONS* in 1983. However, if holograms had been recorded, scientists today would have just as much microscopic access to the Shroud as had taken place back then.
(left photo): 3D laser holograms can be reconstructed and viewed through standard as well as stereoscopic microscopes. The object(s) recorded can be examined just as if the actual physical object were present. With a stereo microscope, the holographic objects are viewed as 3D. Both standard and stereo present the objects with full 3D depth of field.
Today, diode laser holography has made recording equipment lightweight, fast, and compared to older, silver-halide media, the newer photopolymers do not require any darkroom chemical processing. With recording media being ever-increasingly light sensitive, the amount of laser light needed for exposure remains low as well.
Plus, and perhaps most importantly, the entire process is *non-destructive* -- nothing comes in direct physical contact with the material.
With my linen cloth prototype, since my recording is a true, 3D laser hologram, the image of the fibers remain fully three dimensional -- just as if they were there again. The holographic recordings can then be duplicated, and sent to researchers around the world -- without the Shroud ever leaving its protective storage. Thousands of holograms could go to thousands of researchers, all at the same time, without regard to geographic location. I do not have access to the Shroud of Turin, so I have utilized a similar piece of herringbone linen for my holograms.
For my microscope holograms, I utilized a similar piece of herringbone linen to that of the Shroud of Turin.
I have demonstrated in the past that it is possible to record 3D laser holograms on thin-film photopolymer emulsion, then reconstruct the holograms for viewing under high-power 3D stereoscopic microscopes. This gives the same result to the observer as the object physically being there: it can be examined with just as much authority as the "real thing". Why? Because with holography, unlike photography, it is an exact non-physical optical duplication of the original: all the way down to the molecular level, should resolving power permit this.
(left): Photopolymer hologram of the herringbone linen; (right): Right eye view of hologram under 3D stereo microscope.
As was predicted, the 3D laser holographic image of the linen sample appeared just as the actual physical linen would when placed under any 3D stereo microscope. Each individual fiber was clearly discernible. If this hologram were made of the actual Shroud threads, any scientific laboratory anywhere in the world would be able to visually examine it -- as if the Shroud itself were under their microscopes.
Detail: Right eye view of HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE through 3D stereo microscope eyepiece. I will create a 3D anaglyph for posting on this web page after my Fall 2017 tour is completed.
What is real? What is a hologram? 3D stereo Aomekie microscope showing the Shroud of Turin Linen Project hologram at New York Hall of Science public display of Wonders of the Bible. Holographic image reconstructed utilizing a narrow band amber LED point source.
In Closing
There are many theories on how the image came about. They range from a simple painting by an unknown artist, to radiation of extraordinary power (in the trillions of watts). Everyone has either a theory that they subscribe to, or a theory of their own.
I was fully prepared to simply adopt an already-existing theory. This was not to be. As fate would have it, my 35+ years working with lasers and holography caused me to ponder yet another possibility. I present my views on this at the close of my presentations.
The Shroud of Turin fabric hologram was featured in an invited presentation to the New York Microscopical Society. As of 2019, I now have a densitometer to demonstrate how the 3-dimensional information was extracted from the 1931 photos of Giuseppe Enrie, and made into the famous "3D Face in the Shroud" hologram -- which is also displayed along with an original 1898 photograph by original Shroud photographer Secondo Pia. There are no earlier images of the Shroud of Turin than these 1898 photos! If you'd like a presentation, contact me with your information.
Once again, my name is Frank DeFreitas, and may God bless you today -- and everyday -- AND -- REMEMBER -- to always love others, just as Jesus Christ loves you.
"Science is the study of the physical manifestations of God in action."
-- Frank DeFreitas (Click Here for BIO)
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