Phase stabilization system for holographic optical data processing.

Routine passive techniques such as temperature and air current control are frequently not adequate to provide interference fringe stabilization in holographic optical data processing experiments. A successful active phase stabilization system that can be adapted to a variety of experimental configurations is described. It utilizes a synchronous lock-in amplifier and an electrooptic phase modulator to provide real-time stabilization of the interference fringe pattern. Both a video detection method and a direct optical detection method are experimentally evaluated in conjunction with the phase stabilization system.