Michael Stephen Feld
Encyclopedia
Michael S. Feld was an American physicist, remembered for his work on quantum optics as well as medical applications of lasers.
under the guidance of laser pioneer Ali Javan
. He remained at MIT throughout his career, becoming faculty member in 1968 and, since 1976, director of the MIT George R. Harrison
Spectroscopy Laboratory. He was well known in the field of quantum optics
for his first observation of optical superradiance
, experimental demonstrations of cavity
-enhanced and cavity-suppressed spontaneous emission
and the experimental demonstration of the first single atom laser
. In the later part of his career he turned his attention to the field of biomedical optics, where he developed methods for in-tissue spectroscopy and imaging. Feld directed the Laser Biomedical Research Center at MIT, where he worked on fluorescence
and Raman spectroscopy
to measure in-vivo levels of biomarker molecules and image disease via endoscopy
and optical tomography
.
Prof. Feld strongly valued a scientific environment without ethnic or cultural prejudice, and many of his co-workers and Ph.D. students were from minority groups. Notably, he was the Ph.D. advisor of astronaut Ronald McNair
, who died in the Challenger disaster.
Biography
Michael S. Feld received his Ph.D. education at MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
under the guidance of laser pioneer Ali Javan
Ali Javan
Ali Mortimer Javan , born December 26, 1926 in Tehran, Iran is an Iranian American inventor and physicist at MIT. He co-invented the gas laser in 1960, with William R. Bennett...
. He remained at MIT throughout his career, becoming faculty member in 1968 and, since 1976, director of the MIT George R. Harrison
George R. Harrison
George Russell Harrison was an American physicist.Harrison became Professor of Experimental Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1930, and was appointed the school's Dean of Science in 1942; he also headed MIT's Spectroscopy Laboratory...
Spectroscopy Laboratory. He was well known in the field of quantum optics
Quantum optics
Quantum optics is a field of research in physics, dealing with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter.- History of quantum optics :...
for his first observation of optical superradiance
Superradiance
In quantum mechanics, superradiance refers to a class of radiation effects typically associated with the acceleration or motion of a nearby body . It is also sometimes described as the consequence of an "effective" field differential around the body In quantum mechanics, superradiance refers to a...
, experimental demonstrations of cavity
Optical cavity
An optical cavity or optical resonator is an arrangement of mirrors that forms a standing wave cavity resonator for light waves. Optical cavities are a major component of lasers, surrounding the gain medium and providing feedback of the laser light. They are also used in optical parametric...
-enhanced and cavity-suppressed spontaneous emission
Spontaneous emission
Spontaneous emission is the process by which a light source such as an atom, molecule, nanocrystal or nucleus in an excited state undergoes a transition to a state with a lower energy, e.g., the ground state and emits a photon...
and the experimental demonstration of the first single atom laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
. In the later part of his career he turned his attention to the field of biomedical optics, where he developed methods for in-tissue spectroscopy and imaging. Feld directed the Laser Biomedical Research Center at MIT, where he worked on fluorescence
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
and Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique used to study vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system.It relies on inelastic scattering, or Raman scattering, of monochromatic light, usually from a laser in the visible, near infrared, or near ultraviolet range...
to measure in-vivo levels of biomarker molecules and image disease via endoscopy
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
and optical tomography
Optical tomography
Optical tomography is a form of computed tomography that creates a digital volumetric model of an object by reconstructing images made from light transmitted and scattered through an object...
.
Prof. Feld strongly valued a scientific environment without ethnic or cultural prejudice, and many of his co-workers and Ph.D. students were from minority groups. Notably, he was the Ph.D. advisor of astronaut Ronald McNair
Ronald McNair
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
, who died in the Challenger disaster.