J. C. Dainty’s scientific contributions

The state of the art in the study of laser speckle patterns is reviewed, with speckle phenomena treated as useful tools or as noise. Statistical properties of speckle patterns (autocorrelations, spectra), blurred or integrated, and covered along with speckle patterns in partially coherent light (polychromatic or quasimonochromatic). Techniques for minimizing speckle noise in holography are examined in detail. The use of speckle patterns in information processing and storage and in interferometry are discussed separately. Speckle photography, electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI), speckle holography, stellar speckle interferometry, and speckle interferometry using photographic recording are among the topics discussed.