The Light Fantastic: An Evening with Alf Adams, Grandfather of the modern laser

Monday 6 February 2012

Date: Monday, 27th February 2012
Time: 7pm (free drink* available from 6pm)
Venue: Royal Society, London
Price: Full price £7.50; Concessions £5. Book tickets.

*Ticket price includes one glass of wine or soft drink per ticket, available from 6pm. (Lecture begins at 7pm)

The Lecture, entitled Semiconductor Lasers Take The Strain, is the first of a new annual series, the aim of which is to showcase research undertaken at the University of Surrey.

The series is named in honour of Professor Adams whose work on strained quantum well lasers was recently named as one of the Top Ten greatest UK scientific breakthroughs of all time. Such lasers are used in everyday life in telecommunications, medical technology and they underpin the new ultrafast broadband.

“The University is pleased to mark the ground-breaking achievements of Professor Alf Adams’ career with the new lecture series,” explains University of Surrey’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Christopher Snowden. “It is particularly fitting that Professor Adams is giving the inaugural lecture which also marks 25 years since the strained laser breakthrough. This laser technology, which was commercialised, is now used in almost all laser applications worldwide at the heart of applications as diverse as DVD players to telecommunications to checkout counter scanners and was recently classified as the 5th most important discovery of all time.”

During the lecture, Alf will briefly explain how lasers work and why the introduction of strain into semiconductors crystals enhances their ability to produce light. He will present examples and a demonstration showing why they are now such key components in modern technology.

The Lecture will be hosted by Surrey’s own Professor Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of Radio Four’s ‘The Life Scientific’ well known for his television and radio documentaries and for his role in the public understanding of science – as well as being a quantum physicist himself.

Notes to Editors

Media enquiries: Mike Findlay, Media Relations Manager at the University of Surrey, Tel: 01483 686076 or 

m.findlay@surrey.ac.uk

Alf Adams was born in England in 1939. He received the following degrees in physics from the University of Leicester: BSc,1961; PhD, 1964; DSc,1986. After completing his PhD research into the electrical and optical properties of orthorhombic sulphur he spent two years at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany studying the thermal and thermoelectric properties of selenium and tellurium. In 1967 he joined the University of Surrey where he is now Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Physics. Semiconductor lasers have been one of his major interests since 1980 when he spent sabbatical leave at Tokyo Institute of Technology. In Surrey he founded the Optoelectronics group and helped establish the Advanced Technology Institute where he has developed unique techniques to study semiconductor optoelectronic devices using hydrostatic pressure. He held the Hitachi Visiting Chair at Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1992 and was CNRS Visiting Researcher at the University of Montpellier in 1993. In 1995 he was awarded the Duddell Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics. He is a Life Fellow of IEEE, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers in the UK. In 1996 he was Elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1986 Alf proposed that the electronic band structure of quantum well lasers could be significantly improved by deliberately growing the active layer in a state of strain. It was found that this greatly improved almost all the lasers properties and presently strained quantum-well devices dominate the semiconductor laser market. They are used for the internet both to generate the initial signals and to supply power to the fibre amplifiers that help the data on its way.  Shorter wavelength devices are used in DVDs, computer memories and mice, for printing and for bar-code readers, and even to provide the power for metal cutting and welding. At longer wavelengths they are used for chemical sensing, for pollution monitoring and in medicine. Because of their high wall-plug efficiency and high output power, strained quantum-well lasers are likely to play a key role in the future for displays and solid-state lighting.

The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 140 companies employing 2,700 staff.

The Sunday Times names Surrey as ‘The University for Jobs' which underlines the university’s growing reputation for providing high quality, relevant degrees.

Surrey is a member of the 1994 Group of 19 leading research-intensive universities.  The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching.  Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience. www.1994group.ac.uk