Nicholas (Nick) John Phillips (26 September 1933 – 23 May 2009) was an English

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

, notable for the development of photochemical processing techniques for the colour

hologram Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other Holography#Applications, applic ...

. Holograms typically used to have low

signal-to-noise ratio Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. SNR is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power, often expressed in deci ...

s, and Phillips is credited as the pioneer of

silver halide A silver halide (or silver salt) is one of the chemical compounds that can form between the element silver (Ag) and one of the halogens. In particular, bromine (Br), chlorine (Cl), iodine (I) and fluorine (F) may each combine with silver to prod ...

holographic processing techniques for producing high-quality reflection holograms.

Career

Phillips graduated with a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in physics from

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, London. He was a senior researcher at the

Atomic Weapons Research Establishment The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence research facility responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the UK's nuclear weapons. It is the successor to the Atomic Weapons Research ...

(AWRE),

Aldermaston Aldermaston is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. In the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 1015. The village is in the Kennet Valley and bounds Hampshire to the south. It is approximately from Newbury, Basingstoke ...

, from 1959 to 1962. He was a research scientist at the Sperry Rand Research Centre,

Sudbury, Massachusetts Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a rich colonial history. History Incorporated in 1639, the bou ...

, United States, from 1962 to 1963. He was a theoretical physicist at

English Electric N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail) The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...

, Whetstone,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, UK, from 1963–1965. From 1965 to 1993 he was appointed at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

, where he rose to Professor of Applied Optics. In October 1993, he was appointed as Professor of Imaging Science at

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was tak ...

, UK. Phillips was the co-founder in the early 1970s of Holoco, who using lasers supplied by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

(that had been used in laser light shows during their concerts), constructed the ''Light Fantastic'' exhibitions as

The Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, London, in 1977-8. The company became Advanced Holographics in 1980 when The Who withdrew their financial backing, and was based in

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...

, UK, and later became part of Markem Systems.

Research and achievements

Phillips is credited with the development of bleaching and processing techniques, which made it possible to record multi-color reflection holograms from a single wavelength

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 ...

. His research interests include holographic displays, edge-lit holograms, optical encoding for security, photopolymers, and novel micro-optic systems, and he has numerous patents in these areas.

Holographic art

Phillips developed a technique for producing white light holograms that work in dim lighting conditions, which are now widely used in the world of holographic art.From Apparition, Holographic Art in Australia
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Awards

Phillips was awarded the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

Thomas Young Medal (1981) in recognition for contributions to holography, particularly the development of high quality holograms for visual display. He is a Fellow of the

Selected publications by Phillips

* N. J. Phillips and D. Porter, "An advance in the processing of holograms," ''Journal of Physics E: Scientific Instruments'' (1976) p. 631 * N. J. Phillips, A. A. Ward, R. Cullen, and D. Porter, "Advances in holographic bleaches," ''Photographic Science and Engineering'', 24 (1980) p. 120. * N. J. Phillips, H. Heyworth, and T. Hare, "On Lippmann's photography," ''Journal of Photographic Science'', 32 (1984) pp. 158–169. * N. J. Phillips and R. A. J. van der Werf, "The creation of efficient reflective Lippmann layers in ultra-fine grain silver halide materials using non-laser sources," ''Journal of Photographic Science,'' 33 (1985) pp. 22–28, * N. J. Phillips, "Benign bleaching for healthy holography," ''Holosphere,'' 14(4) (1986) p. 21. * N. J. Phillips, "The silver halides—the workhorse of the holography business," ''Proceedings of the International Symposium of Display Holography,'' 3 (1988) p. 35. * D. Abbott, B. R. Davis, N. J. Phillips, and K. Eshraghian, "Simple derivation of the thermal noise formula using window-limited Fourier transforms," ''IEEE Trans. Education,'' 39(1) (1996) pp. 1–13.

References

* Dieter Jung
"Holographic space: A historical view and some personal experiences"
''Leonardo'', Vol. 22, No. 3/4, Holography as an Art Medium: Special Double Issue. (1989), pp. 331–336. * Ed Wesly
"A toast to Nick Phillips"
''Leonardo'', Vol. 25, No. 5, Archives of Holography: A Partial View of a Three-Dimensional World: Special Issue. (1992), pp. 439–442.

Notes

External links

Link to Phillips's company, Advanced HolographicsTimes obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Nicholas J. 1933 births 2009 deaths People from Finchley Alumni of Imperial College London Fellows of the Institute of Physics English physicists Holography Academics of Loughborough University Academics of De Montfort University Neurological disease deaths in England Deaths from Parkinson's disease People educated at Finchley Grammar School