Bell Labs wins awards from the Optical Society of America

17 Jun 2002

The OSA has honored Bell Labs scientists for research into laser physics and quantum optics.

The vice-president of physics research at Bell Labs, Federico Capasso, has won this year's RW Wood prize for his work on the quantum cascade laser. His colleague and distinguished member of the technical staff at Bell Labs, Bernard Yurke, received the Max Boon award for contributions to quantum optics.

George Smith and Willard Boyle, former Bell Labs researchers, also received the Edwin H Land medal for inventing the charge-coupled device. This light-sensitive solid-state electronic device has found widespread use in digital cameras, video cameras and optical scanners.

Other awards given to Bell Labs included fellowships for research into chemical and electrical signalling in neurons, and also surface and condensed matter physics.