Remembering Nicolaas Bloembergen

Eric Mazur

Nicolaas Bloembergen, a giant in the world of optical science, passed away on 5 September 2017 in Tucson, Ariz., USA, at the age of 97. OSA 2017 President Eric Mazur, a student and friend of “Nico,” offers this remembrance.

figureNicolaas Bloembergen and graduate student Pierre Lallemand in the nonlinear optics lab at Harvard. [Harvard Public Affairs & Communications, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Bloembergen Collection]

Nicolaas Bloembergen, a giant in the world of optical science, passed away on 5 September 2017 in Tucson, Ariz., USA, at the age of 97. He was a major intellectual force in the explosion of science and applications related to the interplay of matter and radiation. He pioneered the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), made important contributions to the development of masers and lasers and is the father of nonlinear optics. His work has had significant applications in daily life, from MRI imaging to communications to eye surgery, just to name a few.

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