| Authorised form of name | Hanna; David Colin (1941-2026); physicist |
| Dates | 1941-2026 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 10 April 1941 |
| Date of death | 27 January 2026 |
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Research field | Optoelectronics |
| Lazer physics |
| Neolinear optics |
| Physics |
| Activity | Education:
University of Cambridge BA 1962; University of Southampton Ph.D 1967
Career:
Research student at the Department of Electronics, University of Southampton (1963); moved to the Department of Physics, University of Southampton (1984); Professor of Physics, University of Southampton (1988); Deputy Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton (1989); member of the International Council on Quantum Electronics (1994-1999) and the CLEO-Europe Steering Committee (1995-1997); Member of Governing Body, Winchester College (2001-2026); Emeritus Professor of Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton.
Awards/Medals:
Max Born Prize 1993
EPS Applied Quantum Electronics Prize 2000
Charles Hard Townes Medal 2003 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 14/05/1998 |
| Age at election | 57 |
| PublishedWorks | RCN R69787 |
| OtherInfo | Made a considerable contribution to the understanding of laser physics and the control of laser devices. He applied a thorough, quantitative treatment to many important topics (for example, relaxation oscillations, resonators, mode selection, nonlinear optics, parametric oscillators and waveguide lasers) which were previously inadequately understood. His research on fibre lasers, in particular the Ytterbium-doped lasers, contributed greatly to a new generation of lasers which are compact, stable, highly efficient and capable of operating at very high powers.
Had a pivotal role in the formation of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton. |
| Source | The Royal Society Fellows Directory, Professor David Hanna, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/david-hanna-11573/; last accessed: 20/04/2026]
Wikipedia, David C. Hanna, [URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_C._Hanna; last accessed: 20/04/2026]
Optica, In Memoriam: David C. Hanna, 1941-2026, 27 January 2026, [URL: https://www.optica.org/about/newsroom/obituaries/2026/david_c_hanna/; last accessed: 20/04/2026] |
| Code | NA412 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1998/20 | Hanna, David Colin: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1998 |
| IM/001929 | Hanna, David Colin | 1998 |