Pioneers in Photonics (original) (raw)

Joseph A. Izatt (1962–2024)

Joseph Izatt’s work advanced the science of imaging in biophotonics and brought optical coherence tomography imaging to the eye care of infants and children and, as live feedback for the surgeon, to ophthalmic microsurgery.

Costas Soukoulis (1951–2024)

We had all been wondering “where is Costas?” and now we learned that we shall not see him again. We have lost a good friend and leader in the photonics community.

Andrew M. Weiner (1958–2024)

Andrew M. Weiner, a luminary in ultrafast optics and quantum photonics passed away on February 13, 2024, at the age of 65. He will be remembered for his profound contributions to the optics and photonics community, engineering, education, and for his devoted mentorship. He leaves behind a legacy of innovation and inspiration.

A scientist and a poet

Vladimir Zakharov was a man of a strong passion and grand intellect, who was equally and deservedly proud of both his scientific achievements and his poetry.

Mansoor Sheik-Bahae (1956–2023)

Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, an exceptionally inventive scientist who made important contributions to nonlinear optics, optical refrigeration and laser science, passed away in July 2023, aged 67. He will be cherished for his sharp intellect, good humour, warm heart and the scientific legacy he leaves.

The knight of holographic displays

Recollected by his colleagues as a creative and humble scholar with an indomitable will, Byoungho Lee was enthusiastic about realizing the holistic potential of holographic displays.

In memory of Gabriel Popescu

Gabriel Popescu passed away in June 2022. He will be remembered as a creative leader in biophotonics, with pioneering contributions to quantitative phase imaging and spectroscopy, an engaging collaborator and a dear friend.

Isamu Akasaki in memoriam

The 2014 Nobel laureate, Isamu Akasaki, sadly passed away in April at the age of 92. He was highly regarded for his work on the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes and research into new semiconductor materials.

In memory of Watt Wetmore Webb

Webb’s work helped fundamentally reshape basic research and advanced manufacturing in the generation and application of photonics across disciplines, from fundamental and applied physics to the biosciences.

In memory of Narinder Singh Kapany

The Indian scientist and passionate entrepreneur responsible for pioneering work on optical fibres and biomedical optics has passed away aged 94.

Mark Stockman, the knight of plasmonics

When the nanophotonics research community finally gets back to in-person conferences, the rooms will have empty chairs on the first row. The chairs will be reserved for Professor Mark I. Stockman.

In memory of Arthur Ashkin

Radiation pressure exerted by light was a lifelong passion for Arthur Ashkin. He foresaw that light pressure could do useful work and invented the optical tweezers that can trap microscopic objects, from small ‘living things’ down to individual atoms.

Jonathan Patrick Dowling in memoriam

Jonathan P. Dowling, who died in June, was a pioneer in quantum optics and one of the founders of the US government’s research programme in quantum information.

In memory of Philip W. Anderson

Philip Warren Anderson is one of the founding fathers of modern condensed-matter physics. With his death on 29 March 2020, we have lost one of the most influential physicists of the twentieth century.

The father of fibre optics in Russia

Evgeny Dianov (1936–2019) was a pioneer of fibre-optics research in the former Soviet Union and director of a highly successful research centre in Moscow dedicated to the field.

Remembering Zhores Alferov

Father of the semiconductor laser, Nobel Prize laureate and director of the Ioffe Institute in St Petersburg, Zhores Alferov was a much-loved scientist and educator whose research changed the modern world.

A humble leader

Yaron Silberberg of the Weizmann Institute in Israel passed away in April. Here, some of his former students and friends remind us of who Yaron was: a creative researcher and a mentor without ego with major achievements in nonlinear optics, microscopy and quantum physics.

In memory of Mikhail Gorodetsky

As a pioneer in the research on ultra-high-quality dielectric microresonators and their applications in nonlinear optics, frequency metrology and laser science, Mikhail Gorodetsky is badly missed.

Memories of Charles Townes

Charles Townes, the Nobel laureate acclaimed for his pioneering work on lasers and nonlinear optics, sadly passed away in January this year. Here I offer personal reflections of working with him as one of his graduate students.

Nicolaas Bloembergen as a scientist and a mentor

Nicolaas Bloembergen made rich contributions to nuclear magnetic resonance, masers and lasers, nonlinear optics and ultrafast laser–matter interactions. The Nobel laureate sadly passed away on 5 September 2017. Here are my memories of my Harvard mentor, a remarkable person and a wonderful scientist.

In memory of Charles Kao

Optical fibre technology transformed telecommunications, leading to the global broadband Internet, and beyond. Charles Kuen Kao is the father of optical fibre communications whose vision changed the world.

Life in the light

Osamu Shimomura’s 90-year life came to an end on 19 October 2018. Throughout his long and exceedingly fruitful career, the Japanese marine biologist and chemist passionately explored the phenomenon of bioluminescence in living organisms, earning a Nobel Prize in the process.

Seeing the future from the past

Victor Georgievich Veselago (1929–2018), a Russian scientist from the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, provided great inspiration and impetus to the field of metamaterials with his theoretical analysis of materials with a negative index of refraction.

Roy Jay Glauber in memoriam

The 2005 Nobel laureate, Roy Jay Glauber, sadly passed away on 26 December 2018 at the age of 93. He was highly regarded for his work on the quantum theory of coherence, as well as for his contributions to nuclear physics, scattering theory and statistical mechanics.

A coherent life

Emil Wolf died in June 2018 at the age of 95. The father of optical coherence theory was at the University of Rochester for nearly 60 years. A memorial in August at the university attracted more than 150 attendees from around the world.

Editorial

The philanthropist scholar

John Love, co-author of the famous book Optical Waveguide Theory, passed away on 19 June 2016. The Australian optics community has lost a founding pillar.

A legacy for lasers

Ronald Drever may be most famous for co-founding the LIGO project and his gravitational-wave research, but his contributions to laser stabilization have had broad impact on the photonics community.