Yuri Nikolaevich Denisyuk

Yuri Nikolaevich Denisyuk (July 27, 1927 in Sochi – May 14, 2006 in Saint Petersburg) a Soviet physicist, one of the founders of optical holography. He is known for his great contribution to holography, in particular for the so-called "Denisyuk hologram". He is a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1992; corresponding member since 1970), doctor of physical and mathematical sciences (1971, candidate of sciences since 1964), professor (1980).

Yuri Denisyuk spent his youth in Leningrad and was in the city during The Siege of Leningrad. His scientific work started in 1954 (after his graduation from Saint Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics) at Vavilov State Optical Institute. At that time he was inspired by the science fiction novel “Stellar ships” by the Soviet writer and paleontologist Ivan Yefremov (where it was written about a three-dimensional image of alien head emerged in the ancient disc made of unknown material), and remarkable experiments by 1908 Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Lippmann. In 1958, in other words before the times when lasers with their coherent light were invented, he started conducting his own experiments, where he used lamp emission on mecury vapor and was first to demonstrate 3D hologram. Starting from 1971 Y.N. Denisyuk was the head of the Laboratory of holography at Vavilov State Optical Institute, later he was the head of the whole department, engaged in holographic researches. Since 1988 he has also been the head of the Laboratory of holography at Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He published about 240 research papers, which includes 35 inventions.

Yuri Denisyuk holding a self-portrait hologram.

The Yuri Denisyuk’s scientific work is dedicated to physical optics, mainly holography. In 1962 Dr. Denisyuk invented the method of image recording in three-dimensional environments allowing to save information in phase, amplitude and in the spectral structure of the wave coming from the object. Such reflective holograms can be reproduced under the traditional white beam of light. This scientific achievement was determined in the USSR as a scientific discovery and registered in the USSR State Committee on Inventions and Discoveries under №88 with priority as of February 1, 1962 under the following statement: “The established is an unknown before phenomenon of spatial distortion-free colored image object occurrence under illumination from the three-dimensional element of the transparent material medium, in which the density distribution of matter matches the intensity extension of standing-wave field, which are formed around the object at radiated emission scattering on it”.

Y. N. Denisyuk received the Lenin Prize in 1970, was chosen as a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and appointed as a head of the newly established Laboratory of holography at Vavilov State Optical Institute. Later on Yuri Denisyuk was studying the principles of dynamic holography (the 1982 USSR State Prize), and participating in the establishment process of system for holographic processing of radar impulses (the 1989 USSR State Prize). Dr. Denisyuk showed that progressive wave possesses reflective properties, dealt with holographic issues in schemes with colliding beams. A great deal of his scientific work was dedicated to examination of quasi-deep holograms (the specific one-dimensional structure) and selectograms (a new type of periodic three-dimensional environments). It's worth noting that under Denisyuk’s supervision a whole range of new light-sensitive materials (reoksan, capillary porous glass and composite materials) was developed, that can be used for three-dimensional hologram recording.

• The Lenin Prize (1970)
• International Film Organization Prize “Intercamera” (1971)
• The Order of the Badge of Honour (1975)
• The USSR State Prize (1982, 1989)
• The International Dennis Gabor Award (1983)
• Great Silver Medal and Honorary Member of Royal Photographic Association of Great Britain (1987)
• The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1988)
• The R.W. Wood Prize (1992)
• Honorary Doctor of De Monfort University in Great Britain (1999)