Through his outstanding experimental and analytical skills, David Hanna made a considerable contribution to the understanding of laser physics and the control of laser devices. He applied a thorough, quantitative treatment to many important topics (for example, relaxation oscillations, resonators, mode selection, nonlinear optics, parametric oscillators and waveguide lasers) which were previously inadequately understood. His research on fibre lasers, in particular the Ytterbium-doped lasers, contributed greatly to a new generation of lasers which are compact, stable, highly efficient and capable of operating at very high powers.
Professor David Hanna FRS died on 27 January 2026.
Professional position
- Emeritus Professor of Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton
Subject groups
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Engineering and Materials Science
Opto-electronics (inc lasers, optical microscopy/imaging, fibre optic component)
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Astronomy and Physics
Lasers and optoelectronics
