Robin Bullough
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Robin K. Bullough (born 1929) is a British Mathematical Physicist famous for his contributions to the theory of solitons, in particular for his discovery of the optical soliton, now commonly used, for example, in the theory of trans-oceanic optical fibre communication theory, but first recognised in Bullough's work on ultra-short (nano- and femto-second) optical pulses. He is also known for deriving exact solutions to the nonlinear equations describing these solitons and for associated work on integrable systems, infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian systems (both classical and quantum), and the statistical mechanics for these systems. Bullough has also contributed to nonlinear mathematical physics, including Bose-Einstein condensation in magnetic traps.
Bullough obtained his first academic position in the Mathematics Department at UMIST in 1960 and was appointed chair of Mathematical Physics in 1973 where he remained until his retirement in 1995. He is currently Emeritus Professor in the same department which has now become the School of Mathematics in the University of Manchester.
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[edit] Education and career
On leaving School Bullough served his National Service in the RAF in 1948 and 1949. He obtained a BA in Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, specialising in Theoretical Physics for part II. He went on to obtain a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Leeds in 1957.
He then obtained a job as a Mathematical Physicist at the British Rayon Research Association in Manchester between 1959 and 1960 before obtaining a post as lecturer at UMIST. Bullough travelled widely to facilitate collaboration, with regular visiting appointments and research visits to Copenhagen, Jyväskylä, Los Alamos, DTH Lyngby in Denmark, and Ben Gurion University in Israel.
He was promoted to Reader in 1967 and Professor of Mathematical Physics in 1973.
He organized many conferences over his career including the first National Quantum Electronics Conferences (QEP1) in Manchester in Sept. 1973 and at which he made a first report of 'optical solitons', this was the first of fifteen biennial meetings.
Bullough supervised 24 successful doctoral students and had some 33 post doctoral research associates and visiting fellows.
In 1999 he gave the specially invited 'Special Foundation Lecture' at the Fourteenth UK National Quantum Electronics & Photonics Conference (QEP14)[1] held at the University of Manchester. The lecture was entitled "The optical soliton of QE1 is the BEC of QE14: has the quantum soliton arrived?" paid tribute to his 45 years work in this area. This work in theoretical quantum optics includes the discovery of the "optical soliton" as such around 1973. Only Stephen Chu, Nobel Laureate 1997, was similarly honoured at this conference.
[edit] Bibliography
Bullough published has published over 200 scientific papers with a wide range of co-authors. Some of the most highly cited are:
- Puri RR, Bullough RK, Quantum electrodynamics of an atom making 2-photon transitions in an ideal cavity, Journal of the Optical Society of America B-optical physics, 5 (10), 2021-2028, 1988
- Dodd RK, Bullough RK, Polynomial conserved densities for sine-Gordon equations proceedings of the Royal Society of London series A -- Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 352 (1671): 481-503 1977
- Eilbeck JC, Gibbon JD, Caudrey PJ, Bullough RK. Solitons in nonlinear optics 1: more accurate description of 2pi pulse in self-induced transparency. Journal of Physics A -- Mathematical and general 6 (9): 1337-1347 1973
- Hassan SS, Bullough RK, Theory of dynamical stark effect, Journal of Physics B -- atomic molecular and optical physics, 8 (9): l147-l152 1975
- Caudrey PJ, Gibbon JD, Eilbeck JC, Bullough RK. Exact multisolution solutions of self-induced transparency and sine-gordon equations, Physical Review Letters 30 (6): 237-238 1973
- Bullough RK, Jack PM, Kitchenside PW, et al., Solitons in laser physics, Physica Scripta 20 (3-4): 364-381 1979
- Dodd RK, Bullough RK, Backlund transformations for sine-Gordon equations, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series A-mathematical physical and engineering sciences 351, (1667): 499-523 1976
[edit] References
- ^ R. K. Bullough, The optical solitons of QE1 are the BEC of QE14: has the quantum soliton arrived?Special Foundation Lecture: a personal view 14th National Quantum Electronics and Photonics Conference, Owens Park, University of Manchester, 8 September 1999, Journal of Modern Optics, vol. 48, Issue 4, p.747-748, doi:doi:10.1080/0950034001002113
