Lorenzo M. Narducci (25 May 1942 – 21 July 2006) was an Italian-American physicist known for his contributions to

quantum optics Quantum optics is a branch of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum chemistry that studies the behavior of photons (individual quanta of light). It includes the study of the particle-like properties of photons and their interaction ...

and the study of laser instabilities, in particular. He was the author of more than 200 scientific papers and several books including ''Laser Physics and Laser Instabilities''. In addition to his research on the theory of laser instabilities he also contributed to the physics of emission and absorption in three-level systems, and frequency locking. Narducci received his PhD from the

University of Milan The University of Milan (; ), officially abbreviated as UNIMI, or colloquially referred to as La Statale ("the State niversity), is a public university, public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Eu ...

for research on optical

coherence Coherence is, in general, a state or situation in which all the parts or ideas fit together well so that they form a united whole. More specifically, coherence, coherency, or coherent may refer to the following: Physics * Coherence (physics ...

quantum electrodynamics In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the Theory of relativity, relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quant ...

. He served as editor of

Optics Communications ''Optics Communications'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Elsevier. It covers all fields of optical science and technology and was established in 1969. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexed in: *Chemical ...

(1987-2006) and was member of the editorial board at

Physical Review A ''Physical Review A'' (also known as PRA) is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Physical Society covering atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information. the editor was Jan M. Rost ( Max Planck ...

. Narducci was a Fellow of the Optical Society and among various awards, he received the 1991 ''

Einstein Prize for Laser Science The Einstein Prize for Laser Science was a recognition awarded by the former Society for Optical and Quantum Electronics and sponsored by the Eastman Kodak Company. The prize, awarded in the 1988–1999 period, consisted of a 3-inch brass meda ...

'' and the 1999 ''Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics''.

References

External links

In Memory at ''Physical Review A'', July 21, 2006.Obituary at ''Physics Today'', August 13, 2006.In Memoriam at The Optical Society, July 21, 2006.
20th-century Italian physicists Quantum physicists Optical physicists Theoretical physicists 20th-century American physicists Fellows of Optica (society) University of Milan alumni Italian emigrants to the United States 1942 births 2006 deaths {{Italy-physicist-stub