Oswald Leroy

Oswald Jozef Leroy
Born(1936-05-16)16 May 1936
Passendale, Belgium
Died7 September 2022(2022-09-07) (aged 86)
Ostend, Belgium
CitizenshipBelgium
Alma materGhent University
Known foracousto-optics theorist
Awardshonorary doctorate from the University of Gdansk,
‘Médaille étrangère’ of the French Acoustical Society
Scientific career
Fieldsmathematician
InstitutionsGhent University,
KU Leuven
Doctoral advisorRobert A. Mertens

Oswald Jozef Leroy (16 May 1936 – 7 September 2022) was a Belgian mathematician known for his contributions to theoretical acousto-optics.

Leroy's biggest achievement was a theoretical study of the interaction of light with two adjacent ultrasonic beams under different conditions in terms of beam shape, frequency content and intensity.[1][2][3][4] Understanding of this phenomenon was very important in the 1970s when new acousto-optic devices were developed (mainly due to novel developments in laser technology) that utilized adjacent ultrasonic beams. Such devices were being used in optical modulators,[5] optical scanners,[6] information processing[7][8][9] , optical filtering[10] and frequency-spectrum analysis.[11][12][13] Before his contribution only the interaction of light with one ultrasonic beam was understood.[citation needed] Since then, acousto-optic devices have been used in telecommunication and military applications.[citation needed]

Leroy died at Ostend, Belgium in 2022.[14]

  1. ^ Sliwinski A., "Acoustooptics and its perspectives in research and applications", ultrasonics 28(4), 195–213, 1990
  2. ^ Poon T. C., Chatterjee M. R., Banerjee P. P., "multiple plane-wave analysis of acoustooptic diffraction by adjacent ultrasonic beams of frequency ratio 1 : m", Journal of the Optical Society of America a-optics image science and vision 3(9), 1402–1406, 1986
  3. ^ Balakshii V. I., Nagaeva I. A., "Diffraction of light by two collinear acoustic waves of different frequencies: the mode competition", Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics 45(5), 543–547, 2000
  4. ^ Gondek G., Katkowski T., Kwiek P., "diffraction of light by two ultrasonic beams of frequency ratio 1 : 2, beyond the Raman-Nath diffraction regime", ultrasonics 38(1-8), 845–848, 2000
  5. ^ Pinnow D. A., IEEE J. Quant. Electr. QE-6, 223–238, 1970
  6. ^ Uchida N., Niizeki N., Proc. IEEE 61, 1073–1092, 1973
  7. ^ Kashiwaga E., Sakurai K., in ‘Ultrasonic imaging and holography – Medical, sonar and optical applications’, Eds. G. W. Stroke, W. E. Kock, Y. Kikuchi, J. Tsujiuchi, Plenum press NY, 201–228, 1874
  8. ^ Korbukov T. E., Kulakov S. V., Acousto-Optical methods in information processing. Mackinostroene, Leningrad, 1978
  9. ^ Korpel A., in ‘Optical information processing’, Eds Yu E. Nesterikhin, G. W. Stroke, W. E. kock, Plenum Press, NY, 171–193, 1976
  10. ^ Chang T. C., Opt. Eng. 16, 455–460, 1977, also SPIE 90, 12–22, 1976
  11. ^ Damon R. W., Maloney W. T., McMahon D. H., in ‘Physical acoustics : Principles and Methods VII’, Eds W. P. Mason and R. N. Thurston, Academic Press, NY, 273–366, 1970
  12. ^ Hecht D. L., Opt. Eng. 16, 461–466, 1977; also in SPIE 90, 148–163, 1976
  13. ^ Maloney W. T., IEEE Spectrum 6, 40–48, 1969
  14. ^ Declercq, Nico F. "Obituary: Oswald Jozef Leroy, 1936–2022" (PDF). Acoustics Today (Spring 2023).