Alexander Smakula () (1900 in Dobrovody,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, today

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

– 17 May 1983 in

Auburn, Massachusetts Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,889 at the 2020 census. History The Auburn area was first settled in 1714. On April 10, 1778, parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massac ...

, USA) was a Ukrainian physicist known for the invention of anti-reflective lens coatings based on optical interference.

Biography

Smakula was born to a peasant family in Dobrovody village,

(today

Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast (), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna () or Ternopillia (), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its Capital (political), administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret (river), Seret, a tribu ...

). After finishing his studies at the Ternopil gymnasium he applied to the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

from which he graduated in 1927. Afterwards he worked as an assistant of Prof. Robert Pohl. After his short stay at Odessa University, Smakula returned to Germany as head of an optics laboratory in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. From 1934 he worked at the

Carl Zeiss AG Zeiss ( ; ) is a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics, founded in Jena, Germany, in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) he laid the foundation for today's ...

company in

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

. While at Zeiss, in 1935, Smakula invented and patented interference-based optical

anti-reflective coating An antireflective, antiglare or anti-reflection (AR) coating is a type of optical coating applied to the surface of lens (optics), lenses, other optical elements, and photovoltaic cells to reduce reflection (physics), reflection. In typical ima ...

s, a significant advance in optical technology. The patent mentions practically almost no light absorbing organic and inorganic materials can be used for such coatings. These coatings remained a German military secret for several years, until the Allies discovered the secret during World War II.Camera Lens Anti-Reflection Coatings: Magic Explained
/ref> During World War II, Smakula collaborated with the Nazi regime and worked on infrared guidance for missiles. After the end of World War II Smakula went to the US with other German physicists, where he first worked in Virginia investigating materials for infrared technology. In 1951 he was offered a professorship at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

, where he mainly did research into crystalline materials. Olexander Smakula died on May 17, 1983, and is buried in

, USA.

References

External links

History of Camera Lenses from Carl Zeiss - 1935 - Olexander Smakula develops anti-reflection coating

''Physicist Oleksandr Smakula and his contributions to science''. Welcome to Ukraine 2008, 3.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smakula, Alexander 1900 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Ukrainian inventors 20th-century Ukrainian physicists University of Göttingen alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Soviet expatriates in Germany Soviet emigrants to the United States