Bjarne Tromborg
Encyclopedia
Bjarne Tromborg is a Danish
physicist
who has made significant contributions to particle physics
and photonics
.
. In 1968, he received the M.Sc. degree in physics
and mathematics
from the Niels Bohr Institute
, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was a university researcher studying high-energy particle physics
from 1968 to 1978. In 1979, he joined the research laboratory of the Danish Teleadministrations in Copenhagen in 1979. He was Head of Optical Communications Department at Tele Danmark Research, Horsholm, Denmark from 1987 to 1995.
He was an adjunct professor at the Niels Bohr Institute
from 1991 to 2001. In 1997, he took a leave of absence at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
. Until his retirement at the end June 2006, he was a research professor at Dept. of Communications, Optics
and Materials (currently named DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering), Technical University of Denmark
.
and approximately one hundred journal and conference publications, mostly on physics and optoelectronics
.
At the Niels Bohr Institute, he carried out research in the field of elementary particle physics, particularly analytic S-matrix theory
and electromagnetic corrections to hadron
scattering. He coauthored a research monograph on dispersion
theory.
In the early 1980s, Tromborg switched to photonics
.
Tromborg was one of the pioneers to develop advanced theoretical models for complex semiconductor laser structures such as external laser cavities
and distributed feedback laser
s in the beginning of the 1980s. Computer simulations and measurements confirmed the validity of the theoretical models and their predictions, and this led to a large number of highly recognized publications in international journal and conferences. Several co-workers including Henning Olesen, Gunnar Jacobsen, Jens Henrik Osmundsen, Finn Mogensen, Kristian Stubkjær, Jesper Mørk, Xing Pan, Hans Erik Lassen and Björn Jónsson
contributed to this work over a period of almost 15 years until 1995.
Another important activity at TeleDanmark Research in the late 1980s and early 1990s was to study the dynamics of active semiconductor materials in order to understand the physical relaxation processes at play, their strength and characteristic time scales. A pump-probe set-up employing femtosecond lasers was established and modeling efforts were initialized. Tromborg played a major role in identifying this as a topic that would remain important for many years and where Denmark should strive to get a leading edge. Tromborg also proposed theoretical methods that could be used to estimate the size of these ultrafast dynamical effects and their role in understanding the origin of nonlinear gain suppression in semiconductor lasers.
From 1999 to his retirement at the end of June 2006, Tromborg was with the Department of Communications, Optics and Materials (COM*DTU) at the Technical University of Denmark. In this period, Tromborg was actively involved in both research and education as well as in securing several European Union
research projects for COM*DTU. Tromborg took up the field of photonic crystal
s and with his strong general background and deep mathematical insight and knowledge he initiated and strongly contributed himself to activities within the theory of photonic crystals. He also applied general techniques within stochastic
theory and signal analysis to develop improved descriptions of noise spectra in nonlinear semiconductor optical amplifiers.
Tromborg received the Electro-prize from the Danish Society of Engineers
in 1981.
He was Chairman of the Danish Optical Society from 1999 to 2002.
He has been Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
since 2003.
To celebrate Tromborg's many scientific contributions, a Symposium on Photonics was held on June 22, 2006 at the Technical University of Denmark.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who has made significant contributions to particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
and photonics
Photonics
The science of photonics includes the generation, emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, detection and sensing of light. The term photonics thereby emphasizes that photons are neither particles nor waves — they are different in that they have both particle...
.
Biography
Tromborg was born in Give, DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In 1968, he received the M.Sc. degree in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the Niels Bohr Institute
Niels Bohr Institute
The Niels Bohr Institute is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics....
, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was a university researcher studying high-energy particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
from 1968 to 1978. In 1979, he joined the research laboratory of the Danish Teleadministrations in Copenhagen in 1979. He was Head of Optical Communications Department at Tele Danmark Research, Horsholm, Denmark from 1987 to 1995.
He was an adjunct professor at the Niels Bohr Institute
Niels Bohr Institute
The Niels Bohr Institute is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics....
from 1991 to 2001. In 1997, he took a leave of absence at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a research-intensive institute of technology in Haifa, Israel. Originally called the Technikum, it was founded in 1912...
. Until his retirement at the end June 2006, he was a research professor at Dept. of Communications, Optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
and Materials (currently named DTU Fotonik, Department of Photonics Engineering), Technical University of Denmark
Technical University of Denmark
The Technical University of Denmark , often simply referred to as DTU, is a university just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions, and the...
.
Accomplishments
Tromborg has co-authored a research monographMonograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
and approximately one hundred journal and conference publications, mostly on physics and optoelectronics
Optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices that source, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, light often includes invisible forms of radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared, in addition to visible light...
.
At the Niels Bohr Institute, he carried out research in the field of elementary particle physics, particularly analytic S-matrix theory
S-matrix theory
S-matrix theory was a proposal for replacing local quantum field theory as the basic principle of elementary particle physics.It avoided the notion of space and time by replacing it with abstract mathematical properties of the S-matrix...
and electromagnetic corrections to hadron
Hadron
In particle physics, a hadron is a composite particle made of quarks held together by the strong force...
scattering. He coauthored a research monograph on dispersion
Dispersion (optics)
In optics, dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency, or alternatively when the group velocity depends on the frequency.Media having such a property are termed dispersive media...
theory.
In the early 1980s, Tromborg switched to photonics
Photonics
The science of photonics includes the generation, emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, detection and sensing of light. The term photonics thereby emphasizes that photons are neither particles nor waves — they are different in that they have both particle...
.
Tromborg was one of the pioneers to develop advanced theoretical models for complex semiconductor laser structures such as external laser cavities
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...
and distributed feedback laser
Distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser is a type of laser diode, quantum cascade laser or optical fibre laser where the active region of the device is periodically structured as a diffraction grating...
s in the beginning of the 1980s. Computer simulations and measurements confirmed the validity of the theoretical models and their predictions, and this led to a large number of highly recognized publications in international journal and conferences. Several co-workers including Henning Olesen, Gunnar Jacobsen, Jens Henrik Osmundsen, Finn Mogensen, Kristian Stubkjær, Jesper Mørk, Xing Pan, Hans Erik Lassen and Björn Jónsson
Björn Jónsson
Björn Jónsson was Prime Minister of Iceland from 31 March 1909 to 14 March 1911. He was the father of Sveinn Björnsson, the only governor and first president of Iceland. Björn became minister of Iceland after Hannes Hafstein and his supporters suffered a bad outcome in the elections of 1908, where...
contributed to this work over a period of almost 15 years until 1995.
Another important activity at TeleDanmark Research in the late 1980s and early 1990s was to study the dynamics of active semiconductor materials in order to understand the physical relaxation processes at play, their strength and characteristic time scales. A pump-probe set-up employing femtosecond lasers was established and modeling efforts were initialized. Tromborg played a major role in identifying this as a topic that would remain important for many years and where Denmark should strive to get a leading edge. Tromborg also proposed theoretical methods that could be used to estimate the size of these ultrafast dynamical effects and their role in understanding the origin of nonlinear gain suppression in semiconductor lasers.
From 1999 to his retirement at the end of June 2006, Tromborg was with the Department of Communications, Optics and Materials (COM*DTU) at the Technical University of Denmark. In this period, Tromborg was actively involved in both research and education as well as in securing several European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
research projects for COM*DTU. Tromborg took up the field of photonic crystal
Photonic crystal
Photonic crystals are periodic optical nanostructures that are designed to affect the motion of photons in a similar way that periodicity of a semiconductor crystal affects the motion of electrons...
s and with his strong general background and deep mathematical insight and knowledge he initiated and strongly contributed himself to activities within the theory of photonic crystals. He also applied general techniques within stochastic
Stochastic process
In probability theory, a stochastic process , or sometimes random process, is the counterpart to a deterministic process...
theory and signal analysis to develop improved descriptions of noise spectra in nonlinear semiconductor optical amplifiers.
Tromborg received the Electro-prize from the Danish Society of Engineers
Danish Society of Engineers
The Danish Society of Engineers is a Danish association for engineers and other specialist groups working within engineering and technology. It has the abbreviation IDA...
in 1981.
He was Chairman of the Danish Optical Society from 1999 to 2002.
He has been Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
The IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics is a scientific journal covering optical, and electrical, and electronics engineering, and some applied aspects of lasers and physical optics. It is published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 1965...
since 2003.
To celebrate Tromborg's many scientific contributions, a Symposium on Photonics was held on June 22, 2006 at the Technical University of Denmark.