Derek Laine

Biography

Biography

I was born in Guernsey and attended secondary school in the island. I obtained the degree of BSc (Physics,1956) and PhD (Electronics, (1959) at Southampton University. My thesis work on an ammonia beam maser oscillator under the guidance of D.J.E. Ingram introduced me to molecular beam work.

In 1960, after 16 months in industry engaged in maser development, I joined the Physics Department at Keele. In 1967 I set up my own molecular beam research group working initially on the physics of molecular beam maser oscillators. Later, these studies were extended to operate the first successful experiments in the visible of a line-tuneable optically pumped molecular beam iodine laser.

In 1978 I was awarded the DSc degree (Engineering and Applied Science) by Southampton University. From 1978 to 1979 I was appointed visiting Professor and Senior Research Associate in Professor A. Dymanus’s molecular beam research group at the Catholic University of Nijmegen (now the Radboud University) in the Netherlands. I subsequently collaborated in molecular beam spectroscopy in Professor Reuss’s research group in the same department through frequent visits over the years 1981-1988.

In 1988 I took early retirement and re-engaged part-time which gave me more opportunity for research and travel. In 1990 I was named Professor of Molecular Physics, and in 2006 Emeritus Professor.

Research and scholarship

Research and scholarship

Research work over my career with my research students included dynamic and other properties of molecular beam maser oscillators including the visible/infra-red optically pumped molecular beam laser.

Non-beam work included quantum electronics, CO₂ laser photoacoustic detection of trace gases (specifically the vapours of essential oils), and practical applications of pulsed infrared thermal sources .

Finally, my swan-song was a novel on-axis transmitting and reflective Fresnel solar concentrator. The results of this work were published in 2013 in the form of a sole-author paper.

I was the Research Supervisor of 22 PhD students, and 10 Master’s (thesis) students. Of the latter, most (but not all) were from Israeli occupied Palestine (West Bank and Gaza} in a joint Al Quds Palestinian University/Keele arrangement (sponsored by the British Council) necessitating numerous personal supervisory visits by myself to assist in their personal thesis preparation after their 6 months of experimental work at Keele.

Publications

Publications

Over 110 articles were published in journals and conference proceedings plus two patents over a period of some 53 years. Of these publications three were chapters in books. A major work was to participate with others as an Associate Editor with Senior Editor Prof. G. Scoles in “Atomic and Molecular Beam Methods”, Vol.1 (1988), Vol.2 (1992}.