100 lat optyki na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim (1921–2021)
100 Years of Optics at the University of Warsaw

Author(s): Józef Szudy
Subject(s): Essay|Book Review |Scientific Life, Scientific Life
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: University of Warsaw; history of optics; luminescence and spectroscopy; laser physics; quantum optics; Fourier optics; quantum optical technologies; plasmonics; photonics
Summary/Abstract: This publication is related to the centenary of physics at the University of Warsaw. It describes the history of optics at the university since 1921, when Stefan Pieńkowski founded the Division of Physics at 69 Hoża Street in Warsaw. The author reports on the rapid development of research and significant discoveries in this field in the interwar period, when the Division of Physics earned a reputation as a world centre for molecular luminescence and atomic spectroscopy, attracting scientists from all over the world to Warsaw. Rebuilt after World War II, it got a new image when lasers were used for studies on the structure of atoms and molecules as well as atomic collisions. Today, it has become an internationally recognised modern centre for optical physics, including nonlinear optics, Fourier optics, plasmonics and quantum technologies.

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