Optical interference with digital holograms

In 1804, Thomas Young reported the observation of fringes in the intensity of light, and attributed it to the concept of interference between coherent sources. In this paper, we revisit this famous experiment and show how it can easily be demonstrated with digital holography. We look closely at the concept of interference with light and ask, "fringes in what?" We then show that depending on how light interferes, fringe patterns in observables other than intensity can be seen. We explain this conceptually and demonstrate it experimentally. We provide a holistic approach to the topic, aided by modern laboratory practices for a straightforward demonstration of the underlying physics. (C) 2016 American Association of Physics Teachers.