Arthur L. Smirl
About Optica
In Memoriam: Arthur L. Smirl, 1944-2016
10 December 2016
Arthur “Art” L. Smirl, OSA Fellow and former member of the OSA Board of Directors, passed away at his home on 10 December 2016. Smirl was Professor, Physics and Astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Iowa, IA, USA. Smirl had been an OSA member for more than 45 years and was an active committee volunteer. His OSA service included terms on the OSA Executive Committee, Publications Council, and various program committees (CLEO S&I, Nonlinear Optics, Ultrafast Phenomena, etc.). Smirl’s research interests at the University of Iowa were optical properties of semiconductors, ultrafast photonics, nonlinear optics, and laser physics. Prior to joining the Laboratory for Photonics and Quantum Electronics at the University of Iowa, Smirl was Chairman of the Center for Applied Quantum Electronics and distinguished research professor of physics at North Texas State University. Smirl completed his graduate work under Marlan Scully at the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences. Smirl published extensively and was made an OSA Fellow in 1987.
Smirl enjoyed spending time with his wife Loraine and family, especially his grandchildren. Smirl will be dearly missed by his colleagues, students, and many collaborators within the optics and photonics community.
