GÁBOR, Dénes

G. showed great interest in physics already while attending grammar school in Budapest. He began to study in 1918 at the Technical University of Budapest. Since Budapest did not have the Electrotechnical Institute at that time he in 1920 continued his studies in Berlin at the Technical University in Charlottenburg, graduating in 1924 as an electrical engineer. He started his career at the Research Institute for the transmission lines. He analyzed the properties of high voltage electric transmission lines by using cathode-beam oscillographs. Later he focused on electron optics and in 1927 wrote - when he had already been employed at Siemens und Halske – his Ph.D. thesis concerning the cathode ray tube. From the early 1930s on G. worked on the theory of plasma phenomena: the study of methods of describing plasma or highly ionized, electrically almost neutral gas, which also brought him to the idea that he should transfer discovered effect in the practical use so he constructed plasma lamps. Preparations for the construction were, in accordance with an agreement with the leaders of the Tungsram company, held in 1934/35 in the research laboratory of the company, where G. worked together with Andor Budincsevits. Despite the successful laboratory experiment plasma light was not produced in Hungary since the Egyesült Izzó works (combined lamp works) refused to purchase the patent. In 1937 G. moved to England where he for the next 14 years worked at the development department of the Thomson-Houston company. Over time he began to deal with issues of information theory in the field of telecommunications technology. Being able to draw connections led him to an idea to bring together two seemingly incompatible disciplines, namely the study of electronic bundles to improve the electron microscope and experience that he had accumulated in the field of information theory. The scientific research of electron optics led him to the invention of holography. G. formulated theory of optical holography between 1946 and 1951. The spread of holography requested the development of the so-called coherent light source. This problem was resolved in 1962 with the invention of the laser. Uniting the holography and laser techniques enabled the production of laser holograms. G. participated in these studies as well and contributed to the new perspectives of storage of texts, identifying letters and forms of associative storage of information. Even during his research work G. lectured at Imperial College in London. In 1959 he became professor of Applied Physics. He continued with his experiments even after he retired and remained closely connected with Imperial College as a Senior Research Fellow. In his lifetime he received numerous awards and honours and was, among other things, a member of the Royal Society. In 1971 he received a Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention and development of the holographic method. In recent years he was more focused on general issues and problems of mankind at the Club of Rome.