Michael S. Feld (November 11, 1940 – April 10, 2010) was an American physicist, who was best known for his work on quantum optics, and medical applications of lasers.

Biography

Michael S. Feld received his Ph.D.

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

under the supervision of laser pioneer

Ali Javan Ali Javan ( fa, علی جوان, Ali Javān; December 26, 1926 – September 12, 2016) was an Iranian-American physicist and inventor. He was the first to propose the concept of the gas laser in 1959 at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. A successf ...

. He remained at MIT throughout his career, where he became a faculty member from 1968 to 1976: He was the director of the MIT

George R. Harrison George Russell Harrison (July 14, 1898 – July 27, 1979) was an American physicist. Harrison became professor of experimental physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1930, and was appointed the school's dean of science in 1 ...

Spectroscopy Laboratory. Also, he was well known in the field of

quantum optics 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 b ...

for his first observation of optical

superradiance In physics, superradiance is the radiation enhancement effects in several contexts including quantum mechanics, astrophysics and relativity. Quantum optics In quantum optics, superradiance is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of ''N'' emit ...

. He is credited for the experimental demonstrations of

cavity Cavity may refer to: Biology and healthcare *Body cavity, a fluid-filled space in many animals where organs typically develop **Gastrovascular cavity, the primary organ of digestion and circulation in cnidarians and flatworms *Dental cavity or too ...

, cavity-suppressed

spontaneous emission Spontaneous emission is the process in which a quantum mechanical system (such as a molecule, an atom or a subatomic particle) transits from an excited energy state to a lower energy state (e.g., its ground state) and emits a quantized amount of ...

, and the experimental demonstration of the first single-atom

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

. In the later part of his career, he turned his attention to the field of biomedical optics, where he developed methods for in-tissue spectroscopy and imaging. Feld, also directed the Laser Biomedical Research Center at MIT, where he worked on

fluorescence Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...

and

Raman spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy () (named after Indian physicist C. V. Raman) is a spectroscopic technique typically used to determine vibrational modes of molecules, although rotational and other low-frequency modes of systems may also be observed. Raman sp ...

to measure in-vivo levels of biomarker molecules that assisted in the imaging of disease-causing microorganisms via

endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

and

optical tomography Optical tomography is a form of computed tomography that creates a digital volumetric model of an object by reconstructing images made from light transmitted and scattered through an object. Optical tomography is used mostly in medical imaging ...

. Prof. Feld strongly valued a scientific environment without ethnic or cultural prejudice, and many of his co-workers and Ph.D. students were from minority groups. Notably, he was the Ph.D. advisor of astronaut

Ronald McNair Ronald Erwin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986) was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died during the launch of the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L, in which he was serving as one of three mission spec ...

, who died in the

Challenger disaster On January 28, 1986, the broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. The spacecraft disintegrated above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39a.m. EST (16:39 UTC). It was ...

Honors and awards

*2008 William F. Meggers Award in Spectroscopy

Bibliography

*
MIT News: "Michael S. Feld, physics professor, dies at age 69"
* * * *

Notes

In 2012, the

Optical Society Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

established the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award which recognizes individuals for their innovative and influential contributions to the field of biophotonics; regardless of their career stage. The award was first presented in 2013 to Brian C. Wilson. A list of recipients can be found online at https://www.osa.org/en-us/awards_and_grants/awards/award_description/michaelsfeld/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feld, Michael American physicists Experimental physicists 1940 births Place of birth missing 2010 deaths Optical physicists Laser researchers