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09 December 2010
OSA, DPG Name Marlan Scully Winner of Herbert Walther Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lyndsay Meyer
The Optical Society
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lmeyer@osa.org
OSA, DPG Name Marlan Scully Winner of Herbert Walther Award
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9—The Optical Society (OSA) and the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) are proud to announce the joint 2011 Herbert Walther Award will be presented to Marlan Scully of Texas A&M and Princeton Universities for his “fundamental and applied contributions: from the quantum theory of optical and micro-masers to the quantum eraser, and from inversionless and correlated emission lasers to anthrax detection.”
“Marlan Scully is one of the world’s most distinguished scientists in the field of quantum optics,” said Luiz Davidovich, chair of OSA’s Herbert Walther Award Selection Committee. “We are delighted to present the 2011 Walther Award to a true pioneer of this field, whose work has constantly stimulated new research directions, while also inspiring young scientists to follow in his footsteps. The award is particularly fitting for Marlan, who worked very closely with Herbert Walther, co-publishing 50 papers together and engaging in several years of fruitful scientific collaboration.”
A fellow of OSA, APS, AAAS, the Max Planck Society and the National Academy of Sciences, Scully’s career features a vast set of contributions to the field of quantum optics and physics over the last 40+ years. He is known for developing the quantum theory of the laser, inventing the concepts of correlated emission, developing micro-maser theory, discovering the concept of the quantum eraser, contributing to the formulation of the theory of laser gyroscopes and free electron lasers, co-leading the first experiment demonstrating lasing without inversion, carrying out the first demonstration of room temperature slow light, and developing a comprehensive theory of the dynamics of Bose-condensation, among many other contributions. He is also known for his work to promote science around the world, including founding a series of successful annual conferences on the Physics of Quantum Electronics that have run for more than 40 years. Scully has published more than 500 papers, which have been cited at least 19,850 times.
Established in 2007, the Herbert Walther Award honors Professor Herbert Walther for the seminal influence of his path-breaking innovations in quantum optics and atomic physics, and for his wide-ranging contributions to the international scientific community. The award is jointly made by DPG and OSA and presented by each society in alternate years.
The award recognizes distinguished contributions in quantum optics and atomic physics as well as leadership in the international scientific community. The OSA Foundation has endowed this award with the support of corporate contributors, including Toptica Photonics AG and Messe München International – LASER World of PHOTONICS, and individual contributors.
OSA and DPG plan to present the Walther Award in May 2011 during CLEO/Europe – EQEC 2011 in Munich, Germany.
About OSA
Uniting more than 106,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
