Fourier Transform Holography: A Lensless Imaging Technique, Its Principles and Applications

Fourier transform holography (FTH) is a lensless imaging technique where the wave scattered by an object is superimposed with the wave scattered by a reference source positioned in the same plane. The distribution of the object is then reconstructed by simply calculating the Fourier transform of the recorded hologram. In this study, we outline the basic principles of FTH and provide an overview of the different types of references and the associated reconstruction algorithms. Current applications of FTH with different waves (light, electron, and X-ray) are presented, and their relationships with other coherent imaging techniques are discussed.