Obituaries

Vladimir Zakharov was a man of a strong passion and grand intellect, who was equally and deservedly proud of both his scientific achievements and his poetry.

Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, an exceptionally inventive scientist who made important contributions to nonlinear optics, optical refrigeration and laser science, passed away in July 2023, aged 67. He will be cherished for his sharp intellect, good humour, warm heart and the scientific legacy he leaves.

Recollected by his colleagues as a creative and humble scholar with an indomitable will, Byoungho Lee was enthusiastic about realizing the holistic potential of holographic displays.

Gabriel Popescu passed away in June 2022. He will be remembered as a creative leader in biophotonics, with pioneering contributions to quantitative phase imaging and spectroscopy, an engaging collaborator and a dear friend.

The 2014 Nobel laureate, Isamu Akasaki, sadly passed away in April at the age of 92. He was highly regarded for his work on the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes and research into new semiconductor materials.

Webb’s work helped fundamentally reshape basic research and advanced manufacturing in the generation and application of photonics across disciplines, from fundamental and applied physics to the biosciences.

The Indian scientist and passionate entrepreneur responsible for pioneering work on optical fibres and biomedical optics has passed away aged 94.

When the nanophotonics research community finally gets back to in-person conferences, the rooms will have empty chairs on the first row. The chairs will be reserved for Professor Mark I. Stockman.

Radiation pressure exerted by light was a lifelong passion for Arthur Ashkin. He foresaw that light pressure could do useful work and invented the optical tweezers that can trap microscopic objects, from small ‘living things’ down to individual atoms.