Orazio Svelto

Piero Emilio “Pietro” Svelto, an Optica Fellow and recipient of the 2005 Charles Hard Townes Award, passed away on 10 January 2026 at the age of 89. Svelto was internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to ultrashort laser pulses and solid-state lasers, as well as for inventing the hollow-fiber compressor, a breakthrough that advanced extreme nonlinear optics and attosecond science. He was also widely respected for his contributions to education, particularly through his influential textbook, Principles of Lasers. Svelto served as Emeritus Professor of Physics at Politecnico di Milano.

Svelto earned his degree in Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Milano before joining Stanford University’s Microwave Laboratory as a Research Associate from 1961 to 1963. After returning to Italy, he joined the Italian National Research Council (CNR), where he advanced through several leadership roles to become Research Director. During his time at CNR, he founded the Centre for Quantum Electronics and Electronic Instrumentation, which later became part of the Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology. From 1976 until 2010, Svelto served as Full Professor of Quantum Electronics and Physics of Matter at Politecnico di Milano, and in 2010 he was named Emeritus Professor.

Throughout his distinguished career, Svelto received numerous honors recognizing both his scientific achievements and leadership in the field. These included the Quantum Electronics Prize of the European Physical Society (1998), the Italgas Prize (2000), the Gold Medal from the President of the Italian Republic for merit 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 also a Fellow of IEEE and Optica (formerly OSA).

In addition to his scientific accomplishments, Svelto was an active and dedicated volunteer within Optica. He served on the Optica Board of Directors as an appointed Director at Large in 1998 and contributed to several major governance groups, including the Meetings Council (2009), the International Council (1999–2001), and the Membership Council (2000–2001). He also participated extensively on award selection committees and program committees for Optica conferences and meetings.

He passed away on 10 January 2026 at the age of 89.