Ajoy Ghatak | |
---|---|
Born | 9 November 1939 Lucknow, India |
Alma mater | Delhi University Cornell University |
Known for | Research on photonics, fiber optics and education in India |
Awards | Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Optica Fellow OSA Esther Hoffman Beller Award ICO Galileo Galilei Award SPIE educator award |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | Indian Institute of Technology National Academy of Sciences, India |
Thesis | Non linear prompt neutron kinetics in multigroup diffusion theory (1964) |
Doctoral advisor | Mark Nelkin |
Notable students | Anurag Sharma, Sasikanth Manipatruni |
Ajoy Kumar Ghatak is an Indian physicist and author of physics textbooks.
Ghatak has written over 170 research papers and more than 20 books. His undergraduate textbook on Optics [1] has been translated to Chinese and Persian and his monograph on Inhomogeneous Optical Waveguides [2] (coauthored with Professor Sodha) has been translated to Chinese and Russian. [3]
In 1995, he was elected Fellow of the Optica (society) "for distinguished service to optics education and for his contribution to the understanding of propagation characteristics of gradient index media, fibers and integrated optical devices". [4]
He received his M.Sc. from Delhi University and Ph.D. from Cornell University. [5]
Ghatak joined the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1966. [4] He retired as an Emeritus Professor of Physics at IIT Delhi in 2007. [6]
Ghatak is currently the President of the National Academy of Sciences, India. [7] He also spends his time writing books and doing special guest lectures at universities and colleges in India and internationally. [8] [9] In recent years, he has taken a keen interest in bringing the genius of Albert Einstein to the wider public and was invited to present a TEDx talk, "Inside Einstein's mind" [10] in 2017.
Some publications include: [16]
'Optica is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and carries out charitable activities.
Quantum optics is a branch of atomic, molecular, and optical physics dealing with how individual quanta of light, known as photons, interact with atoms and molecules. It includes the study of the particle-like properties of photons. Photons have been used to test many of the counter-intuitive predictions of quantum mechanics, such as entanglement and teleportation, and are a useful resource for quantum information processing.
Julio César Gutiérrez Vega is a Mexican physicist who has done pioneering work on wave propagation of optical fields; in particular, he introduced the Mathieu family of non-diffracting optical beams and the Helmholtz-Gauss beams —a parabolic family of non-diffracting optical beams— with Miguel A. Bandrés. His research work is done with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education’s Optics Center, of which he is the director. This work has been recognized with membership in Mexican Academy of Sciences and Level III membership in the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores.
An optical waveguide is a physical structure that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical spectrum. Common types of optical waveguides include optical fiber waveguides, transparent dielectric waveguides made of plastic and glass, liquid light guides, and liquid waveguides.
An optical circulator is a three- or four-port optical device designed such that light entering any port exits from the next. This means that if light enters port 1 it is emitted from port 2, but if some of the emitted light is reflected back to the circulator, it does not come out of port 1 but instead exits from port 3. This is analogous to the operation of an electronic circulator. Fiber-optic circulators are used to separate optical signals that travel in opposite directions in an optical fiber, for example to achieve bi-directional transmission over a single fiber. Because of their high isolation of the input and reflected optical powers and their low insertion loss, optical circulators are widely used in advanced communication systems and fiber-optic sensor applications.
Chinese Optics Letters is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Optica. Established in 2003, it covers optics research originating in the People's Republic of China as well as coverage from groups outside the country.
The University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences, considered the largest institute for optics education in the United States, is dedicated to research and education in optics with an emphasis on optical engineering. The college offers more than 90 courses in optical sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Optical Sciences and Engineering, Masters and Doctoral degree programs in Optical Sciences, as well as a dual master's degree in Optical Sciences and Business Administration. The college also offers comprehensive distance learning courses leading to a Professional Graduate Certificate or a master's degree and markets non-credit short courses on DVD to optics professionals.
Min Gu is a Chinese-Australian physicist who currently serves as the Executive Chancellor and Professor at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. Previously he was Distinguished Professor and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship at RMIT University.
Girish S. Agarwal, Fellow of the Royal Society UK, is a theoretical physicist. He is currently at the Texas A & M University with affiliations to the Departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering. Earlier he worked as Noble Foundation Chair and the Regents Professor at the Oklahoma State University. He is a recognized leader in the field of quantum optics and also has made major contributions to the fields of nonlinear optics, nanophotonics and plasmonics. In 2013 he published the textbook "Quantum Optics", covering a wide range of recent developments in the field, which has been well received by the community.
Cladding in optical fibers is one or more layers of materials of lower refractive index in intimate contact with a core material of higher refractive index.
Robert William Boyd is an American physicist noted for his work in optical physics and especially in nonlinear optics. He is currently the Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Quantum Nonlinear Optics based at the University of Ottawa, professor of physics cross-appointed to the school of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Ottawa, and professor of optics and professor of physics at the University of Rochester.
Mahendra Singh Sodha, popularly known as M. S. Sodha, is an Indian physicist specialising in Plasma, Optics and Energy and a former vice chancellor of Lucknow University, Devi Ahilya University and Barkatullah University. A 1974 winner of the highest Indian science award, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Sodha was honoured by the Government of India again in 2003 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Yuri S. Kivshar, Australian Scientist of Ukrainian origin, distinguished professor, head of Nonlinear Physics Centre of The Australian National University (ANU) and research director of The International Research Centre for Nanophotonics and Metamaterials, Australian Federation Fellow.
Anurag Sharma is an Indian physicist and a professor at the department of physics of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He is known for his pioneering researches on optoelectronics and optical communications and is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Sciences, India as well as Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 1998.
Prof. R K Sinha is the Vice Chancellor of Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar Under UP Government. He was the director of the CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO) Sector-30C, Chandigarh-160 030, India. He has been a Professor - Applied Physics, Dean-Academic [UG] & Chief Coordinator: TIFAC-Center of Relevance and Excellence in Fiber Optics and Optical Communication, Mission REACH Program, Technology Vision-2020, Govt. of India Delhi Technological University Bawana Road, Delhi-110042, India.
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop is a professor of physics at the University of Queensland and an Officer of the Order of Australia. She has led pioneering research in atom optics, laser micro-manipulation using optical tweezers, laser enhanced ionisation spectroscopy, biophysics and quantum physics.
Govind P. Agrawal is an Indian American physicist and a fellow of Optica, Life Fellow of the IEEE, and Distinguished Fellow of the Optical Society of India. He is the recipient of James C. Wyant Professorship of Optics at the Institute of Optics and a professor of physics at the University of Rochester. He is also a Distinguished scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) in the University of Rochester. Agrawal has authored and co-authored several highly cited books in the fields of non-linear fiber optics, optical communications, and semiconductor lasers.
Alexandra Boltasseva is Ron And Dotty Garvin Tonjes Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, and editor-in-chief for The Optical Society's Optical Materials Express journal. Her research focuses on plasmonic metamaterials, manmade composites of metals that use surface plasmons to achieve optical properties not seen in nature.
Judith M. Dawes is an Australian physicist who is Professor of Physics at Macquarie University. She studies the interactions of light at the nanoscale and the applications of lasers in sensing. She is a former president of the Australian Optical Society, and a Fellow of SPIE and Optica.
Boon S. Ooi is a Malaysian–American academic researcher and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. He was faculty member at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) from 1996 to 2000 and at Lehigh University from 2003 to 2009. He served as Director of KACST-Technology Innovation Center at KAUST from 2012 to 2020.