Abstract: Partially overlapping holograms are stored in a cylindrical volume holographic storage medium capable of rotation about and translation along its longitudinal axis. The reference and signal beams are mutually perpendicular, and each is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. An index-matched housing encloses the medium laterally. An optional helically-varying optical axis (c-axis) orientation allows recording at constant angular intervals over a full revolution. Signals from stored pages are used to dynamically adjust the positioning of the medium relative to the light beams as the medium continuously spins at high velocity, and to control the access of the signal beam to the readout camera.

Abstract: Ionic and impurity concentrations in a photorefractive holographic storage medium are optimized such that electronic and ionic Debye numbers match an expected grating wave number K, at fixing and recording temperatures, respectively. Simultaneous and sequential recording and fixing are evaluated. The photovoltaic effect is reduced, subject to response time and absorption constraints, by matching reduced and oxidized impurity concentrations.

Abstract: A method for encoding and decoding digital data for storage in a holographic medium (12). Digital data, consisting of binary data (B.sub.i) or grey scale data (A.sub.i), is encoded in bit groups or digit groups (B.sub.k, A.sub.k) containing at least k=1 bits or digits, respectively, by assigning to each bit group (B.sub.k) one reference bit (B.sub.r) and to each digit group (A.sub.k) two reference digits (A.sub.r1, A.sub.r2), assigning the bits of group (B.sub.k) to information bits (B.sub.j), assigning the digits of group (A.sub.k) to information digits (A.sub.j), assigning the reference bit (B.sub.r) and information digits (B.sub.j) to a reference pixel (P.sub.r) and information pixels (P.sub.j) chosen from pixels (24) of a holographic signal modulator (18), and assigning the reference digits (A.sub.r1, A.sub.r2) and information digits (A.sub.j) to reference pixels (P.sub.r1, P.sub.r2) and information pixels (P.sub.j) chosen from pixels (24) of the holographic signal modulator (18).