Optica · Yale Student Chapter

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Optics has one of the longest continuous histories of any physical science — from Alhazen's 11th-century Book of Optics, through Newton, Huygens, and Fresnel's arguments over the nature of light, to the invention of the laser in 1960 and today's work on metasurfaces, topological photonics, and quantum light. Below is a birthday calendar of scientists who shaped the field, spanning classical optics through modern photonics — built for our chapter's calendar & merch project.

Foundations Lasers Quantum Solitons Nanophotonics Metasurfaces Topological Fiber

January

Jan 4 — Isaac Newton (1643–1727) — Prism dispersion, corpuscular theory of light

Jan 8 — Shanhui Fan (1972–) — Photonic time crystals, topological photonics, BIC

Jan 11 — Frank Wise (1964–) — Ultrafast fiber lasers, spatiotemporal solitons

Jan 15 — Lukas Novotny (1967–) — Nano-optics, optical antennas

Jan 22 — Ulf Leonhardt (1965–) — Transformation optics, optical cloaking theory

Jan 23 — Ernst Abbe (1840–1905) — Microscopy resolution limit, Abbe sine condition

February

Feb 3 — Alexander Khanikaev (1978–) — All-dielectric topological photonics

Feb 6 — Ibn al-Haytham / Alhazen (965–1040) — Father of modern optics, Book of Optics

Feb 9 — Linn Mollenauer (1937–) — Soliton transmission in optical fibers

Feb 14 — Govind Agrawal (1951–) — Nonlinear fiber optics, solitons textbook

Feb 17 — Michael Berry (1941–) — Berry phase, geometric phase in optics

Feb 20 — Niek van Hulst (1956–) — Near-field optical microscopy, nanophotonics

Feb 24 — David Wineland (1944–) — Trapped-ion quantum optics, optical clocks · Nobel 2012

Feb 28 — Xingjie Ni (1982–) — Ultrathin metalenses, Huygens metasurfaces

March

Mar 2 — Peter Nordlander (1956–) — Plasmon hybridization theory

Mar 6 — Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787–1826) — Spectral lines, diffraction gratings

Mar 7 — Yuri Kivshar (1957–) — Optical & discrete solitons, nonlinear photonics

Mar 12 — Emmett Leith (1927–2005) — Off-axis holography

Mar 14 — Albert Einstein (1879–1955) — Photoelectric effect, stimulated emission · Nobel 1921

Mar 18 — Mordechai Segev (1962–) — Topological photonics, Anderson localization of light

Mar 20 — Nanfang Yu (1981–) — Metasurface flat optics, generalized Snell's law

Mar 27 — Marlan Scully (1939–) — Quantum optics & lasers, lasing without inversion

Mar 31 — René Descartes (1596–1650) — Laws of reflection & refraction

April

Apr 3 — David Smith (1966–) — First experimental negative-index metamaterial

Apr 9 — Jeff Kimble (1949–) — Cavity QED, single-photon nonlinear optics

Apr 9 — Herbert Walther (1935–2006) — Single-atom cavity QED

Apr 15 — Christophe Caloz (1971–) — Dispersion-engineered metasurfaces

Apr 14 — Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) — Wave theory of light, Huygens' principle

Apr 17 — Ignacio Cirac (1965–) — Quantum computation with ions & photons

Apr 23 — Max Planck (1858–1947) — Blackbody radiation, quantum of light · Nobel 1918

Apr 25 — John D. Joannopoulos (1947–) — Photonic crystals theory

May

May 3 — Nail Akhmediev (1951–2021) — Akhmediev breathers, rogue wave solitons

May 7 — Mikael Rechtsman (1983–) — Photonic Floquet topological insulators

May 10 — Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) — Wave optics, diffraction, Fresnel zones

May 13 — Eric Betzig (1960–) — PALM super-resolution, near-field optics · Nobel 2014

May 17 — Ferenc Krausz (1962–) — Attosecond laser science · Nobel 2023

May 19 — Federico Capasso (1949–) — Quantum cascade laser, flat optics & metalenses

May 22 — Shuji Nakamura (1954–) — Blue/violet InGaN laser diode, blue LED · Nobel 2014

May 27 — Donna Strickland (1959–) — Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) · Nobel 2018

June

Jun 1 — Alain Aspect (1947–) — Bell inequality tests with photons · Nobel 2022

Jun 5 — Dennis Gabor (1900–1979) — Invention of holography · Nobel 1971

Jun 10 — Mark Stockman (1947–2021) — Spaser, attosecond nanoplasmonics

Jun 13 — Willebrord Snellius (1580–1626) — Snell's law of refraction

Jun 13 — James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) — Electromagnetic theory of light

Jun 15 — Anton Zeilinger (1945–) — Quantum teleportation, entanglement · Nobel 2022

Jun 18 — Mikhail Shalaev (1955–) — Optical metamaterials, nonlinear nanophotonics

Jun 22 — Gérard Mourou (1944–) — Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) · Nobel 2018

Jun 24 — William E. Moerner (1953–) — Single-molecule spectroscopy · Nobel 2014

Jun 28 — John Clauser (1942–) — First Bell test experiments · Nobel 2022

July

Jul 4 — Gerard Milburn (1958–) — Linear optical quantum computing

Jul 11 — Theodore Maiman (1927–2007) — Built the first working laser (1960)

Jul 13 — John Scott Russell (1808–1882) — Discovery of solitary water waves (1834)

Jul 16 — Frits Zernike (1888–1966) — Phase-contrast microscopy · Nobel 1953

Jul 17 — Gordon Gould (1920–2005) — Coined 'laser', key early patents

Jul 20 — Andrea Alù (1979–) — Cloaking, non-reciprocal photonics, PT-symmetry

Jul 23 — Pierre Agostini (1941–) — Attosecond pulse trains · Nobel 2023

Jul 28 — Charles H. Townes (1915–2015) — Maser and laser invention · Nobel 1964

Jul 30 — Naomi Halas (1958–) — Plasmonics, gold nanoshell optical resonances

August

Aug 4 — Mark Ablowitz (1945–) — Inverse scattering, nonlinear wave theory

Aug 7 — Nader Engheta (1955–) — Epsilon-near-zero media, optical metatronics

Aug 12 — Patrice Genevet (1982–) — Flat optics, phase-gradient metasurfaces

Aug 16 — Anne L'Huillier (1958–) — High-harmonic generation, attosecond pulses · Nobel 2023

Aug 21 — John L. Hall (1934–) — Optical frequency combs, laser stabilization · Nobel 2005

Aug 28 — Yakir Aharonov (1932–) — Aharonov–Bohm effect, quantum phases of light

Aug 31 — Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894) — Physiological optics, color vision

September

Sep 1 — Arthur Ashkin (1922–2020) — Optical tweezers, laser trapping · Nobel 2018

Sep 2 — Roy Glauber (1925–2018) — Quantum coherence theory of light · Nobel 2005

Sep 3 — J. Michael Kosterlitz (1943–) — Topological phase transitions · Nobel 2016

Sep 11 — Serge Haroche (1944–) — Cavity QED, single photon trapping · Nobel 2012

Sep 14 — Harry Atwater (1961–) — Plasmonics, photovoltaics nanophotonics

Sep 17 — Emmanuel Desurvire (1955–) — EDFA theory & demonstration

Sep 22 — Michael Faraday (1791–1867) — Faraday effect, magneto-optics

Sep 29 — Philippe Grelu (1969–) — Dissipative solitons, fiber laser dynamics

October

Oct 4 — Duncan Haldane (1951–) — Topological order, Chern insulator · Nobel 2016

Oct 7 — Willard Boyle (1924–2011) — CCD image sensor · Nobel 2009

Oct 26 — Marin Soljačić (1974–) — Photonic topological insulators

Oct 30 — Akira Hasegawa (1934–) — Optical solitons in fibers

Oct 30 — Theodor W. Hänsch (1941–) — Optical frequency combs, hydrogen spectroscopy · Nobel 2005

November

Nov 1 — Philippe Grangier (1955–) — Single-photon experiments, QKD

Nov 3 — Emmett Leith (1927–2005) — Off-axis holography

Nov 4 — Charles K. Kao (1933–2018) — Fiber optics, low-loss glass fiber · Nobel 2009

Nov 10 — Nick Holonyak Jr. (1928–2022) — First visible LED, semiconductor laser

Nov 11 — Nicolaas Bloembergen (1920–2017) — Nonlinear optics, three-photon processes · Nobel 1981

Nov 16 — John Pendry (1943–) — Negative refraction, perfect lens, metamaterials

Nov 20 — Sajeev John (1957–) — Photonic bandgap co-inventor

Nov 22 — John Dudley (1966–) — Supercontinuum, soliton dynamics

Nov 30 — Zheng Wang (1978–) — Unidirectional photonic topological states

December

Dec 15 — Eli Yablonovitch (1946–) — Photonic crystals, photonic bandgap

Dec 16 — Daniel Kleppner (1932–) — Cavity QED, Rydberg atoms

Dec 19 — Albert Michelson (1852–1931) — Interferometry, speed of light · Nobel 1907

Dec 23 — Stefan Hell (1962–) — STED nanoscopy, breaking diffraction barrier · Nobel 2014

More coming soon: mathematical optics art and a full-year poster version of this calendar.