John F. Asmus
John F. Asmus | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 20, 1937 |
| Died | March 31, 2024 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | California Institute of Technology (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Pioneering use of lasers in art conservation |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of California, San Diego |
John Fredrich Asmus (January 20, 1937 – March 31, 2024) was a research physicist who focused his work on the use of scientific techniques in art conservation. As of 2020, he taught at the Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Science at the University of California, San Diego, where he began working in 1974.
Asmus was widely published, with over 125 articles published in professional journals and 25 patents to his name. Having received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology, he initially applied his knowledge of high-energy excimer lasers in private sector organizations such as General Atomics, where he contributed to the ORION nuclear spaceship program. Asmus then pioneered the use of holography, lasers, ultrasonic imaging, digital image processing, and nuclear magnetic resonance in art conservation, working to preserve or investigate works as diverse as the statues in Venice, frescoes of the California State Capitol, petroglyphs in Utah's Arches National Park, portraits by Rembrandt, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, China, and the Mona Lisa.