HOLOMEM, optical mass memory investigations, volume 1

Research and design activities in support of the development of a 10 to the 12th power-bit holographic read/write optical mass memory (HOLOMEM) with some moving parts for space applications are summarized. The report consists of four sections: (1) a general introduction, which includes a summary of key accomplishments and the principal conclusions of the study; (2) a comprehensive analysis of alternative HOLOMEM system concepts; (3) a discussion of important design and tradeoff considerations related to the fabrication, test, and evaluation of a breadboard holographic recorder/reproducer; and (4) a summary of experimental data generated to define the holographic recording performance of two quasi-commercial photoplastic recording films.