Sarath Gunapala
Encyclopedia
Sarath Gunapala is a Sri Lanka
n solid-state physicist, Senior Research Scientist
and Group Supervisor at NASA
's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He works primarily in Quantum Well Infrared Photo Detecting
. He is also a Board Member of QWIP Technologies LLC.
and articles that appeared in Nawayugaya magazine.
He received his primary & secondary education at Nalanda College Colombo, and entered the University of Colombo
in 1975 and received his special degree in physics
with a first class in 1979. After working as an assistant lecturer for some time at the University of Colombo
, he was offered a scholarship to go to the US for his doctorate.
A few years later he joined Bell Laboratories. He worked there for seven years, during which time he developed an IR detector which attracted some scientists at NASA. A few months later Dr. Gunapala moved to California and began working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
.
's Children's Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University), and to find “hot spots” in forest fires.
"This technology will revolutionize the way we develop new remote sensing instruments," said team leader Dr. Sarath Gunapala and added; "As a result of all our research work in last decade, QWIP technology has culminated as the most favorable highly sensitive multi-band
large format focal plane array technology in long-wavelength infrared region."
Dr. Gunapala has introduced to the world, the "640x512 PixZls Long-Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) Quantum Dot Infrared Photodetector (QDIP) Focal Plane Array Camera".
Dr. Gunapala resides in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. He hosted the Quantum Structure Infrared Photodetector (QSIP) 2009 International Conference in January 2009.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n solid-state physicist, Senior Research Scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and Group Supervisor at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He works primarily in Quantum Well Infrared Photo Detecting
Quantum well infrared photodetector
A quantum well infrared photodetector , is an infrared photodetector made from semiconductor materials which contain one or more quantum wells. These can be integrated together with electronics and optics to make infrared cameras for thermography. A very common well material is gallium arsenide,...
. He is also a Board Member of QWIP Technologies LLC.
Early life
Dr. Gunapala set his mind on being an astronomer when he was a schoolboy, being motivated by a lecture given by veteran scientist Prof. Cyril PonnamperumaCyril Ponnamperuma
Dr. Cyril Andrew Ponnamperuma was a Sri Lankan scientist in the fields of chemical evolution and the origin of life.-Biography:...
and articles that appeared in Nawayugaya magazine.
He received his primary & secondary education at Nalanda College Colombo, and entered the University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
in 1975 and received his special 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...
with a first class in 1979. After working as an assistant lecturer for some time at the University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
, he was offered a scholarship to go to the US for his doctorate.
A few years later he joined Bell Laboratories. He worked there for seven years, during which time he developed an IR detector which attracted some scientists at NASA. A few months later Dr. Gunapala moved to California and began working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
.
QWIP technology
Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) is a digital sensor that is being utilised in numerous ways, not only by scientists but also by astronomers, meteorologists, firemen, and doctors alike. Among other things, QWIP cameras are used to detect smog, monitor volcanoes, detect both skin and breast cancer (at many institutions, including the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's Children's Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University), and to find “hot spots” in forest fires.
"This technology will revolutionize the way we develop new remote sensing instruments," said team leader Dr. Sarath Gunapala and added; "As a result of all our research work in last decade, QWIP technology has culminated as the most favorable highly sensitive multi-band
Multi-band
In telecommunications, the terms multi-band, dual-band, tri-band, quad-band and penta-band refer to a device supporting multiple radio frequency bands used for communication...
large format focal plane array technology in long-wavelength infrared region."
Dr. Gunapala has introduced to the world, the "640x512 PixZls Long-Wavelength Infrared (LWIR) Quantum Dot Infrared Photodetector (QDIP) Focal Plane Array Camera".
Dr. Gunapala resides in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. He hosted the Quantum Structure Infrared Photodetector (QSIP) 2009 International Conference in January 2009.