Biography:

Marlan O. Scully (Texas A&M and Princeton) is a laser physics pioneer. His work includes the first quantum theory of the laser with Lamb, the first demonstrations of lasing without inversion, the first demonstration of ultraslow light in hot gases, and the use of quantum coherence to detect anthrax in real time. Furthermore Scully’s work on quantum coherence and correlation effects has shed new light on the foundations of quantum mechanics, e.g., the quantum eraser.

He has been elected to the: National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Europaea, and Max Planck Society; has numerous awards including the: APS Schawlow prize, OSA Townes Award, IEEE Quantum Electronics Award, Franklin Institute’s Elliott Cresson Medal, OSA Lomb Medal, and Humboldt Senior Faculty Prize. More recently he was named Harvard Loeb Lecturer, received an honorary doctorate from Universität Ulm, and was awarded the OSA/DPG Hebert Walther Award. Research Topics: Short CV with selected publications

Best Known For:

• The first complete quantum theory of the laser including the photon statistics (with W. Lamb) (Phys. Rev. 1967).
• Quantum Eraser (PRA 1982)
• Using quantum coherence to suppress spontaneous emission in his correlated emission laser (PRA 1987).
• Using quantum coherence to show, theoretically and experimentally, laser operation without inversion (PRL 1989, PRL 1995, PRL 1996).
• Laser spectroscopy applied to first real-time anthrax detection (PNAS 2002, Science 2007, PNAS 2008)
• Laser Physics and Quantum Optics textbooks.
• Built quantum optics groups at:
  • Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona
  • Center for Advanced Studies, University of New Mexico
  • Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University