William Bridges
About Optica
In Memoriam: William Bridges, 1934-2024
01 November 2024
William B. Bridges, 1988 Optica President and Fellow, passed away on 1 November 2024 at the age of 89. He was the Carl F. Braun Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, at Caltech, USA. Bridges was known for his discovery of the noble gas ion laser in 1964 and his pioneering projects in the fields of reconnaissance systems, space communications systems, and hydrogen maser clocks for global positioning systems. The discoveries by William Bridges can be found in current applications such as the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and DNA sequencing.
Bridges was born in Inglewood, California, USA, in 1934. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering. Bridges joined the Hughes Research Laboratories division of the Hughes Aircraft Co. in 1961, where he worked briefly on microwave vacuum tubes and then gas lasers. He discovered and patented the noble gas (argon, Krypton, xenon) ion laser in 1964.
In 1977, Bridges became a professor of electrical engineering and applied physics at Caltech. He was named the Carl F. Braun, Professor of Engineering six years later. He continued his research in various areas of electro-optical devices and applications, including millimeter-wave dielectric waveguides, optical isotope separation, acousto-optic spectroscopy, and waveguide gas lasers. Bridges was a Fellow of Optica (formerly OSA), IEEE, and LIA. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. He served as a USAF Scientific Advisory Board member, was on the Board of Directors of Uniphase Corporation (now JDS Uniphase), and was a consultant at the Hughes Research Laboratories.
Bridges was a dedicated Optica volunteer who served on various councils and committees during his career. He served as Society President in 1988 and held positions on the Finance Council, Executive Council, and Nominating Council. Bridges was also active in Optica publications and served on the Board of Editors and Publications Council. In addition to his service to Optica, Bridges was known as a dedicated and engaging teacher with an extraordinarily detailed knowledge of optics, lasers, atomic clocks, and microwave tube technology. In 1988, Bridges was recognized for his achievements and was named the Arthur L. Schawlow Medal recipient by the Laser Institute of America. He received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Associated Students of Caltech in 1980 and 1982 and the Lifetime Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000.
Optica and the scientific community mourn his loss.
