| RefNo | EC/1976/33 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XX, 33; A56884 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Smith, Stanley Desmond: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1973 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Professor S. D. Smith has made distinguished contributions in two separate fields of physical science, solid-state physics and physical meteorology. In the former he has used magneto-optical techniques to elucidate the electronic properties of semiconductors and to determine their band structure. This has led more recently to his work on spin-flip Raman scattering and the development of the tunable spin-flip laser, which he and his research team are now developing into a practical instrument for chemical spectroscopy. In the field of meteorology he has collaborated with the Oxford University team under Dr. J.T. Houghton in the application of advanced infra-red spectroscopy to remote sounding of the atmosphere. He first suggested that very high spectral resolution might be obtained for this application using the technique of selective chopping with gas cells; he also developed other key components of the required instrumentation, in particular special narrow band interference filters. These developments have led to very successful experiments on the Nimbus 4 and Nimbus 5 satellites which measure daily the temperature of atmospheric layers on a global scale. The teams under S. D. Smith at Reading University and later at Heriot-Watt University have been deeply involved not only in instrument design and development, but also in the analysis of the new data these satellites have obtained. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA4139 | Smith; Stanley Desmond; physicist | |