Staying coherent after kent: From optical communications to biomedical optics

Abstract

In this paper, an overview of author's research is presented, commencing at the University of Kent under Prof. David A. Jackson. Early research in short optical pulses and fiber-optic delay-line digital correlators led to optical communications research in code-division multiple access networking. This research was based on broadband incoherent light, and this theme continued with research into spectrum-sliced wavelength-division multiplexing. In shifting from photonics research to biomedical optics and biophotonics in the late 1990s, the emphasis on exploiting broadband light continued with research in optical coherence tomography, amongst other topics. In addition to the research outcomes, how these outcomes were attained is described, including mention of the exceptional contributions of many of my colleagues. © The Author(s) 2011.