Mak Arthur Afanasievich

   Arthur A. Mak is an outstanding laser physics scientist, doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, professor.
   For his research activities in laying down the foundations of laser physics and technology, development of some unique lasers, and for scientific guidance of the design of a number of laser systems on the assignment of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR, he was decorated with the Lenin Order, Labor Red Banner Order, several medals, and was awarded with the Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR.
   A. A. Mak was born on 15 May 1930 in town Kamenets-Podolsky, Khmelnitsky Province, Ukraine, in the family of high school teachers. In 1948, he finished the high school with the gold medal distinction and entered the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, from which he graduated with honour in 1954. Then he was employed at the S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute (SOI), where he passed all the way from an engineer up to head of the laser department.
   In 1993, basing on this SOI department, A. A Mak established the R&D Institute of Laser Physics (ILP), which is an independent state enterprise that has become one of the advanced and world-wide recognized research centers for the leading-edge vital trends in the development of laser techniques.
   Presently, the State Unitary Enterprise ILP, headed by A. A. Mak, has 155 staff members, including nine of these with DSc degree and 53 with PhD degree. The ILP research staff, among whom such prominent scientists as professors I. M. Belousova, O. B. Danilov, N. N. Rozanov, V.A. Serebryakov, DSc's A. A. Andreev, V. V. Danilov, and PhD's V. E. Yashin, V. V. Lyubimov, A.A Leshchev, V. I. Ustyugov, V. E. Sherstobitov should be mentioned, during recent years have accomplished a number of major research projects on solar energy conversion using lasers, long-distance radiant energy transmission, ultrahigh-power laser physics and technology, state-of-the-art technological lasers, lasers for metrology, and on some other fundamental problems.
   The ILP is one of rapidly advancing leading Russian research centres having stable economic positrion. Much attention is being paid in ILP to training young research staff. Being head of the Quantum Electronics Department at the St. Petersburg Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, A. A. Mak carefully attends to training undergraduate and graduate students. Over past years, 43 of A. A. Mak's students had defended PhD theses and many of them have become prominent scientists with DSc degrees. Just during last two years, the ILP staff members have received four Awards for Science of the Government of the Russian Federation, have published two monographs, more than 45 scientific articles, and have presented 65 papers at Russian and international conferences.
   The laser optics scientific school, created by A. A. Mak, enjoys the world-wide recognition and authority. A. A. Mak has more than 60 inventions and patents to his credit, he has authored and co-authored three books and more than 230 scientific papers, for many years he had been associate editor-in-chief of the Quantum Electronics journal and, presently, is the editorial board member of, the Quantum Electronics journal and the Journal of Optical Technology.
   One more A. A. Mak's brain-child is the LASER OPTICS International Conference, which he chairs and conducts since 1977 in St. Petersburg. Nowadays this conference has become one of the largest world forums for scientists and specialists involved in the development, manufacture, and application of lasers and laser systems.
   In 1993, A. A. Mak was honored with the title of Merited Scientist of the Russian Federation, in 1995 the D. S. Rozhdestvensky Optical Society awarded him with the A. A. Lebedev Medal, and in 1997 he received the Award for Science of the Government of the Russian Federation.

   The ILP photograph album

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