Albert A.

Michelson
Although Prussian born, Michelson moved to the US when he was three. He developed a light interferometer
to determine the relative velocity between two beams of light. Using this device, Michelson and his colleague
Edward W. Morely were able to prove that light does not require a special medium (ether) to travel in.

Albert Einstein
Although this German scientist is most known for his theories of relativity, the Nobel Prize he won is for his
theoretical contributions and in particular his work on the photoelectric effect. His famous 1917 paper on the
quantum theory of radiation is of great importance to the understanding of how electromagnetic radiation
interacts with matter.

Anders Jöns Ångström

This famous Swede was a physicist, mathematician, and astronomer. He is often considered the father of
spectroscopy. To honor him, a unit of length was named after him.

Augustin-Jean Fresnel
This French physicisit created a special lens (the fresnel lens) that has multiple parts and is used in light houses
and flat screen projection systems, traffic lights, and solar collectors. Not only did he create this lens, he also
worked on interference effects, diffraction, and optical lens systems. He was the first to show that light is a...

Charles Townes
Townes built the first MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Electromagnetic Radiation). This was
the first demonstration of amplifiying electromagnetic radiation by stimulated emission. Significant theoretical
contributions to the eventual creation of the LASER were by Schawlow, Townes, Gould, Prokhorov, and
Basov. In 1960 Theodore...

Étienne-Louis Malus
This French scientist studied the refractive indices of materials, double refraction, and discovered that light
could be polarized by reflection. He is responsible for coining the term “polarized.”

Galileo Galilei
Well known for his advances in physics, astronomy, and optics, this Italian scientist built a telescope and
gathered evidence of a heliocentric solar system. He also studied motion and gravity.

Heinrich Hertz
This German physicist was the first to generate electromagnetic waves and receive them, proving Maxwell’s
theory of electromagnetism. The units of frequency (cycles per second) are named after him.

Isaac Newton
One of the most famous scientists in the past 2000 years, this English man made many contributions to the
field of optics, mechanics, astronomy, and mathematics. His well known optics contributions include the
discovery that white light is made up of many colors, the reflecting telescope, and more.

Leonhard Euler
Besides this Swiss born’s mathematical feats that are embraced and utilized by all scientific fields, he also
engaged in theories of optics. He worked on properties of lenses, proved that achromatic lens systems could be
created, and provided the foundation for calculating lens systems.

Max Planck
Planck won the Nobel prize for his quantum theory of energy. This German theoretical physicist began
studying the different colors of light emitted from heated objects. He theorized that packets of energy (now
called photons) were released and related to the frequency of light by a constant amount. This constant is now
known as Planck’s...

Michael Faraday
In 1831 this famous English scientist discovered that an induced current occurs in a conducting coil if a
permanent magnet is moved in and out of the coil. Faraday is famous for his law of electromagnetic induction,
inventing the transformer, and the Farady effect which describes an interaction between magnetic fields and
light.

Nicola Copernicus
Versed in many fields, this famous Polish man is most known for his works providing evidence for the
heliocentric model using data from other astronomers.

Niels Bohr
This renowned Danish physicist won the Nobel Prize for his work on atomic theory. Bohr’s atomic theory
includes the idea that electrons orbit an atomic nucleus only in certain allowed energy levels. Electromagnetic
radiation (like light) is emitted or absorbed when an electron changes its energy level. Photo by AB Lagrelius
& Westphal

James Clerk Maxwell

This Scottish physicist is best known for his theory of electromagnetism and his connection between light and
electromagnetic waves. He is considered one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century. Maxwell’s equations
elegantly describe the fundalmentals of electromagnetism. He also worked on the kinetic theory of gases, the
motion of...

Thomas Young
Young was a physicist and a physician. One of his most important contribution to optics is the theory of wave
interference, and his ideas on how the receptors of the eyes function and perceive color. He was the first to use
the term “energy,” and he made significant contributions to deciphering the Rosetta Stone! These are just a few
of his...

Willebrord Snell
Snell’s most famous and important contribution is the laws of refraction for light. Known as Snell’s Law, it
describes how light bends as it enters another material. This Dutch mathematician also made contributions to
navigational theories and geometry.

Dutch born Zacharias Janssen is given credit as the inventor of the compound microscope. Some believe his
father, Hans Janssen, to have helped. The worked together in the lens making business. Portrait by Pierre Borel
In 2004, Saloma received the Galileo Galilei Award from the International Commission for Optics in
recognition of his significant contributions in the field of optics that were accomplished under
comparatively unfavorable conditions. He is the first scientist from an ASEAN member country to receive
the Galileo Award.