View-Dependent Displays and the Space of Light Fields

Abstract: In this paper we explore how light propagates from thin elements into a volume for viewing. In particular, devices that are typically connected with geometric optics, like parallax barriers, differ in treatment with those that obey physical optics, like holograms. However, the two concepts are often used to achieve the same effect of capturing or displaying a combination of spatial and angular information. This paper attempts to connect the two approaches under a general framework based in ray space, from which insights into applications and limitations of both parallax-based and holography-based systems can be observed. We show that each display form can generate a light distribution that can always be expressed as a rank-1 matrix. Knowledge of this limitation is then discussed in the context of extending the capabilities of current display forms by considering the use of partially coherent light.