C. Kumar N. Patel | |
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| Born | (1938-07-02)2 July 1938 (age 87) |
| Nationality | Indian/American |
| Alma mater | College of Engineering, Pune(B.E.) Stanford University(M.S.) Stanford University(PhD) |
| Awards | Stuart Ballantine Medal(1968) IEEE Medal of Honor(1989) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles |
Chandra Kumar Naranbhai Patel (born 2 July 1938) is anelectrical engineer. He developed thecarbon dioxide laser in 1963;[1] it is now widely used in industry for cutting and engraving a wide range of materials like plastic and wood. Because theatmosphere is quite transparent to infrared light, CO2lasers are also used for militaryrangefinding usingLIDAR techniques.
Patel was born inBaramati,India, and received aBachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from theGovernment College of Engineering, theUniversity of Pune,India and the M.S. and PhD in electrical engineering fromStanford University in 1959 and 1961, respectively.[2] Patel joinedBell Laboratories in 1961, and subsequently became Executive Director of the Research, Materials Science, Engineering and Academic Affairs Division at AT&T Bell Laboratories inMurray Hill, New Jersey, where he developed the carbon dioxide laser. Patel's discovery, in 1963, of the laser action on therotational–vibrational transitions ofcarbon dioxide and his discovery, in 1964, of efficient vibrational energy transfer betweenmolecules, led to a series of experiments which demonstrated that the carbon dioxide laser was capable of very highcontinuous-wave and pulsedpower output at very high conversion efficiencies.
From 1993–1999, Patel served as vice chancellor for research at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, where he is also professor of physics and adjunct professor of electrical engineering.[3]
In 1996,President Bill Clinton awarded Patel theNational Medal of Science, "[f]or his fundamental contributions to quantum electronics and invention of the carbon dioxide laser, which have had significant impact on industrial, scientific, medical, and defense applications."[4] In addition to the carbon dioxide laser, he also developed the "spin-flip" infraredRaman laser.[5]
Patel currently holds 36 U.S.patents relating to lasers andlaser applications. He is a member of theNational Academy of Engineering and theNational Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences,[6] theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science,[7] theAmerican Physical Society, theIEEE, theOptical Society of America,[8] theLaser Institute of America,[9] theAmerican Society of Laser Medicine and a Senior Fellow of theCalifornia Council on Science and Technology.[10]
In 2018 C. Kumar N. Patel became an Honorary Member of the American Laser Study Club[11] which a year later named an award in his honor.[12]
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