engineering

Herwig Kogelnik

Herwig Kogelnik is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Herwig Kogelnik rather than just read about it. In short: Herwig Kogelnik (born June 2, 1932) is an Austrian-American electrical and optical engineer. He is best known for his fundamental contributions to the developments in laser technology, optoelectronics, photonics and lightwave communications systems.

Key takeaways

Herwig Kogelnik belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Herwig Kogelnik to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Herwig Kogelnik from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Herwig Kogelnik (born June 2, 1932) is an Austrian-American electrical and optical engineer. He is best known for his fundamental contributions to the developments in laser technology, optoelectronics, photonics and lightwave communications systems. His work over a 40-year career at Bell Labs earned him the Marconi Prize, the IEEE Medal of Honor, the National Medal of Technology and many other awards. In a series of papers in the early 1960s, he developed the theory of stable optical resonators, which has been fundamental to laser developments ever since. He then turned to the applications of holograms to optical systems, developing with some of his colleagues the basic theory of thick holograms that led to the development of a whole range of optical components, including filters and couplers to integrated optical devices. His innovation was the beginning of the "distributed feedback laser." He also contributed the development of wavelength-division multiplexing. Kogelnik was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1978 for contributions to the understanding of optical propagation modes, thick film holography, and invention of the distributed feedback laser.

Biography He was born in Graz, Austria on June 2, 1932. He received an engineering degree from the Technische Hochschule in Vienna, Austria in 1955, and also a Doctor of Technology Degree in 1958. In 1960 he received a DPhil from St Peter's College, Oxford University. In 1961 he joined Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey where he became Director of both the Electronics Research Laboratory and the Photonics Research Laboratory. He was the president of the Optical Society of America in 1989. An OSA Fellow since 1972, he was elected an Honorary Member of the society in 2005, "For achievements in several areas of optics and photonics, contributions to lightwave communications by directing industrial research and for leadership in the scientific community." He holds 35 patents. In 2012 he continued active engineering work.

See also Optical Society of America#Presidents

References

External links Optical Society of America Frederic Ives Medal Optical Society of America Honorary Members

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Herwig Kogelnik

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Herwig Kogelnik claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Herwig Kogelnik before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Herwig Kogelnik ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Herwig Kogelnik

In research: Herwig Kogelnik appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Herwig Kogelnik in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Herwig Kogelnik is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1932 births, Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford, Alumni of the University of Oxford, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Herwig Kogelnik outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Herwig Kogelnik in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Herwig Kogelnik means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Herwig Kogelnik out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Herwig Kogelnik in simple terms?

Why does Herwig Kogelnik matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Herwig Kogelnik?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Herwig Kogelnik.