DESY group leader Saša Bajt has been elected a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA). She is recognized “for her major contributions to EUV and X-ray optics,” as the society announced. With 21 000 members in more than 100 countries, the Optical Society is the leading scientific society in the field of optics and photonics.

Saša Bajt, who heads the Multilayer Optics Group at DESY, has made numerous contributions to extreme ultra-violet (EUV) and X-ray optics, that won several awards and she holds a number of patents in the field. Her work in EUV optics has had major impact to the semiconductor lithography industry, who often consult her on this technology. She is a recognized authority in the production, metrology and use of multilayer optics under a broad range of conditions and sources. Her optics enabled many of the pioneering imaging experiments at FLASH, the soft X-ray free-electron laser at DESY.

In the field of X-ray optics, Bajt has introduced many outstanding innovations that opened up new avenues of scientific discovery with X-ray light sources. Among her recent contributions are novel multilayer Laue lenses (MLL) that Bajt devised and built together with her team at DESY. These sophisticated optics are manufactured with a specially developed innovative sputtering method to achieve geometries with the necessary precision. They create the smallest X-ray focus – below ten nanometres – producing highest intensities to bring X-ray imaging methods like microscopy and holography to new levels.

“I am very pleased to receive this recognition from my peers in the optical sciences. This field is very vibrant as you can see from recent Nobel prizes and also of great importance to DESY,” said Bajt. “I was fortunate to work with and be supported by many excellent people throughout my career and I would to take this opportunity to thank all of them.”

The OSA, originally founded in 1916 as the Optical Society of America, works to promote the generation, application and archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and to disseminate this knowledge worldwide. The purposes of the society are scientific, technical and educational. OSA members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics can be elected to the class of Fellow. The number of Fellows is limited by the society's bylaws to be no more than 10 per cent of the total OSA membership and the number elected each year is limited to approximately 0.5 per cent of the current membership total, making each year’s honorees a highly selective group. “Being named an OSA Fellow is an honour accorded to those of rare distinction in their field, and carries the responsibility of service to and leadership of the optics and photonics communities,” said OSA President Ian Walmsley.

 

Further Information: Announcement of the OSA 2019 Fellows Class