William Firth
FRSE, FOSA, Freeland Professor of Natural Philosophy
Willie studied for his BSc at Edinburgh University and his PhD at Herriot Watt. He is the Freeland Professor of Natural Philosophy. (Professor since 1985; Head of Dept 1990-93, 2001-04; Vice-Dean Research (Science) 1999-2001). Previous: Heriot-Watt University: 1967-85, Assistant Lecturer, progressing to Reader 1984. Universität Heidelberg: Royal Society European Fellowship 1978-79. University of Arizona: Visiting Professor, Arizona Centre for Mathematical Sciences, 1989-94.
| e: willie 
phys.strath.ac.uk | t: 0141 548 3269/3354 | u: http://cnqo.phys.strath.ac.uk/
|
Research
I have active involvement in a wider range of laser physics and nonlinear optics, as a theorist and computational physicist, often in close collaboration with experimental groups. My recent emphasis has been on spatial solitons and spontaneous patterns in optics, and their applications. At Strathclyde, I began and helped build the Computational Nonlinear and Quantum Optics Group, which was “flagged” as high-quality in the 2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise.
Editor: Optics Letters: Topical Editor (Nonlinear Optics) 2004-7 : (previous) Reports on Progress in Physics (1984-90).
Editorial Boards: (current) Journal of Modern Optics: (previous) Physical Review E; Optics Communications; Cambridge Series in Modern Optics.
Publications: About 200 journal articles, book chapters, and published proceedings papers to date. Three of the most-highly cited (over 400 citations between them at June 2008) are listed below:
- Optical Bullet-Holes: Robust Controllable Localised States of a Nonlinear Cavity
W J Firth and A J Scroggie
Phys Rev Lett 76 1623-1626 (1996) - Optical Solitons Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum
W. J. Firth and D. Skryabin
Phys. Rev. Lett 79 2450-2453 (1997). - Hexagonal Spatial Patterns in a Simple Optical System
G D'Alessandro and W J Firth
Phys Rev Lett 66, 2597-2600 (1991).
Highlights
Programme Co-chair and General Co-Chair of OSA Nonlinear Guided Waves Conference 2004, 2005
Plenary address at QEP-15 2001; invited talks include SPIE Annual Meeting 2002 and OSA Annual Meeting (2005).
Topical editor Optics Letters (2004-2007)
SUPA Photonics theme leader 2005-06
Selected publications
A.J.Scroggie, W.J.Firth, G.L.Oppo, "Cavity-soliton laser with frequency-selective feedback", Phys. Rev. A 80, 013829 (2009) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.013829
Y.Tanguy, T.Ackemann, W.J.Firth, R.Jager, "Realization of a semiconductor-based cavity soliton laser", Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 013907 (2008) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.013907
F.Pedaci, S.Barland, E.Caboche, P.Genevet, M.Giudici, J.R.Tredicce, T.Ackemann, A.J.Scroggie, W.J.Firth, G.L.Oppo, G.Tissoni, R.Jager, "All-optical delay line using semiconductor cavity solitons", Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 011101 (2008) doi: 10.1063/1.2828458
M.Pesch, W.Lange, D.Gomila, T.Ackemann, W.J.Firth, G.L.Oppo, "Two-dimensional front dynamics and spatial solitons in a nonlinear optical system", Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 153902 (2007) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.153902
W.J.Firth, L.Columbo, A.J.Scroggie, "Proposed resolution of theory-experiment discrepancy in homoclinic snaking", Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 70-77 (2007) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.104503
G.R.M.Robb, W.J.Firth, "Collective atomic recoil lasing with a partially coherent pump", Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 70-77 (2007) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.253601
P.V.Paulau, A.J.Scroggie, A.Naumenko, T.Ackemann, N.A.Loiko, W.J.Firth, "Localized traveling waves in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with frequency-selective optical feedback", Phys. Rev. E 75, 70-77 (2007) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.75.056208
D.Gomila, A.J.Scroggie, W.J.Firth, "Bifurcation structure of dissipative solitons", Physica D 227, 70-77 (2007) doi: 10.1016/j.physd.2006.12.008
W.J.Firth, A.M.Yao, "Giant excess noise and transient gain in misaligned laser cavities", Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 073903 (2005) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.073903
J.B.Geddes, W.J.Firth, K.Black, "Pulse dynamics in an actively mode-locked laser", SIAM J. Appl. Dyn. Sys. 2, 647-671 (2003) doi: 10.1137/S1111111102416599
G.K.Harkness, W.J.Firth, G.L.Oppo, J.M.McSloy, "Computationally determined existence and stability of transverse structures. I. Periodic optical patterns", Phys. Rev. E 66, 046605 (2002) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.66.046605
A.J.Scroggie, J.M.McSloy, W.J.Firth, "Self-propelled cavity solitons in semiconductor microcavities", Phys. Rev. E 66, 036607 (2002) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.66.036607
Current Grants
, , , , ,
(-) £
Title:
