Orazio Svelto obituary
About Optica
In Memoriam: Orazio Svelto, 1936-2026
10 January 2026
Orazio Svelto, an Optica Fellow and recipient of the Charles Hard Townes Award (2005), passed away on 10 January 2026, at age 89. Svelto was renowned for his pioneering work on ultrashort laser pulses and solid-state lasers, as well as for inventing the hollow-fiber compressor, which contributed to advances in extreme nonlinear optics and attosecond science. He was also recognized for his leadership in education through his book, "Principles of Lasers." Svelto served as an Emeritus Professor of Physics at Politecnico di Milano.
Svelto earned a degree in Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and later worked at Stanford University's Microwave Laboratory as a Research Associate from 1961 to 1963. After his time at Stanford, Svelto joined the Italian National Research Council (CNR). He held various positions there, eventually becoming the Research Director. During his tenure at CNR, Svelto founded the Centre for Quantum Electronics and Electronic Instrumentation, which later became part of the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology. He served as a full professor of Quantum Electronics and Physics of Matter at Politecnico di Milano from 1976 to 2010. In 2010, he became an Emeritus Professor.
Svelto received numerous awards during his career, including the Quantum Electronics Prize from the European Physical Society (1998), the Italgas Prize (2000), the gold medal from the Italian President of the Republic for being a deserving citizen in Science, Culture, and Art (2005), the Charles Hard Townes Award from the Optical Society (2005), and the Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics (2011). He was a Fellow of IEEE and Optica (formerly OSA).
Svelto was active in Optica as a committee volunteer and served on the Optica Board of Directors as an appointed Director at Large (1998). He was also a member of the Meetings Council (2009), the International Council (1999-2001), and the Membership Council (2000-2001). In addition, he served on numerous award committees and program committees for Optica meetings.
He will be remembered as a kind and generous mentor to many students and collaborators. Optica and the scientific community mourn the loss of Orazio Svelto.
