The tympanic membrane (TM) is the most peripheral structure in the middle ear and is the first ear structure set in motion by airborne sound. Motion of the TM is transduced by the middle ear system into sound in the cochlear fluids, which then excites the cochlear partition in the inner ear. While measurements of TM motion are not direct measures of hearing sensitivity (which also depends on the function of the inner ear), a TM altered by trauma or middle-ear disease will reduce the acoustic-mechanical input to the inner ear, thereby causing a “conductive” hearing loss. An approach to determine the degree of such a loss in sound conduction to the inner ear measures the deformation of the TM with various acoustic stimuli. Most present-day middle-ear diagnostic procedures are based on acoustic measurements that sense the mobility of the entire TM, e.g., multi- or single-frequency tympanometry,^{1, 2} ear-canal reflectance or power absorption,^{3, 4, 5} and static pressure-induced variations in sound pressure.⁶ Single-point laser vibrometry measurements of the mobility of the umbo in the TM have also been used as diagnostic aids in clinical settings.^{7, 8}

The data acquisition from the shape of an object is a must to complete its quantitative displacement measurement analysis. Over the past years whole field of view optical non-invasive testing has been widely used in many areas, from industrial ones to, for instance, biomedical research topics. To measure the surface contour from the tympanic membrane (TM) of ex-vivo cats digital holographic interferometry (DHI) is used in combination with a two-illumination positions method: the shape is directly measured from the phase change between two source positions by means of a digital Fourier transform method. The TM shape data in conjunction with its displacement data renders a complete and accurate description of the TM deformation, a feature that no doubt will serve to better comprehend the hearing process. Acquiring knowledge from the tissue shape indicates a mechanical behavior and, indirectly, an alteration in the physiological structure due to middle ear diseases or damages in the tissue that can deteriorate sound transmission. The TM shape contour was successfully measured by using two source positions within DHI showing that the TM has a conical shape. Its maximum depth was found to be 2 mm, considering the umbo as the reference point with respect to the TM annulus plane, where the setup is arranged in such a manner that it is capable of measuring a height of up to 7 mm.

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a technique that has high potential for analyzing biological samples and has been successfully applied to the study of cells and cell lines providing information about important parameters such as refractive index, morphology, and dry mass, among others; it has also found applicability to study the effects of therapeutic treatments. Finding the size and shape of cells is important since they tend to change in the presence of some pathologies. In this research work, we obtain the morphology thickness and refractive index of the A375 melanoma cell line through a slight tilting of the cell in a DHM setup. Further, the development of a novel mathematical expression based on this tilt and in the optical phase difference is presented. We show images of melanoma cells with the refractive index information included, and their morphology thickness as rendered from the holographic phase maps recorded with DHM.

Current industrial demand for optical nondestructive testing includes the displacement analysis of large object areas. This paper reports on the use of a digital holographic interferometer to measure displacements over an area of $1.14m2$. The object under study is a framed working table covered with a Formica layer fixed to a granite bench, and it is observed and illuminated employing a high speed and high resolution camera and a continuous wave high output power laser, respectively. A stabilization procedure needs to be established as long illumination distances are required in order to retrieve the entire surface optical phase during a series of continuous deformations. As a proof of principle, two different tests are presented: the first involves a slow continuous loading process and the second a vibration condition. The wrapped phase and displacement maps are both displayed.

Dennis Gabor’s seminal idea of a simple all-optical setup aimed at reconstructing the object wavefront stored on a photographic plate gave birth a little over seven decades ago to the field of holography. In 1971 Gabor obtained the Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention. Still, the road in the early days after his two first papers on the subject was one full of obstacles, so his scientific and engineering contemporaries put his idea to rest for more than 10 years, until the invention of the laser. This fact made his holographic concept take off to new and unsuspected applications. This invited review paper is a homage to Dennis Gabor’s 50th anniversary of his Nobel Prize accolade. For this purpose, the review departs from the typical common route, i.e., those written following a timeline fashion, and instead is written with the intent to cover only a few of the holography applications in optics while scanning the electromagnetic spectrum. In doing this, the authors are aware that other invited papers for this special issue will tackle other subjects not dealt with in this review non-timeline paper.

Fast dynamic data acquisition techniques are required to investigate the motional behavior of the vocal folds (VFs) when they are subjected to a steady air-flow through the trachea. High-speed digital holographic interferometry (DHI) is a non-invasive full-field-of-view technique that has proved its usefulness to study rapid and non-repetitive object movements. Hence it is an ideal technique used here to measure VF displacements and vibration patterns at 2000 fps. Analyses from a set of 200 displacement images showed that VFs’ vibration cycles are established along their width ( y ) and length ( x ). Furthermore, the maximum deformation for the right and left VFs’ area may be quantified from these images, which in itself represents an important result in the characterization of this structure. At a controlled air pressure, VF displacements fall within the range ~100–1740 nm, with a calculated precision and accuracy that yields a variation coefficient of 1.91%. High-speed acquisition of full-field images of VFs and their displacement quantification are on their own significant data in the study of their functional and physiological behavior since voice quality and production depend on how they vibrate, i.e. their displacement amplitude and frequency. Additionally, the use of high speed DHI avoids prolonged examinations and represents a significant scientific and technological alternative contribution in advancing the knowledge and working mechanisms of these tissues.