Oswald Leroy
Oswald Jozef Leroy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 May 1936 |
| Died | 7 September 2022 (aged 86) |
| Citizenship | Belgium |
| Alma mater | Ghent University |
| Known for | acousto-optics theorist |
| Awards | honorary doctorate from the University of Gdansk, ‘Médaille étrangère’ of the French Acoustical Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | mathematician |
| Institutions | Ghent University, KU Leuven |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert 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. 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, optical scanners, information processing , optical filtering and frequency-spectrum analysis. Before his contribution only the interaction of light with one ultrasonic beam was understood. Since then, acousto-optic devices have been used in telecommunication and military applications.