André Maréchal
Encyclopedia
Robert Gaston André Maréchal (10 December 1916 – 14 October 2007) was a French
researcher and administrator in optics
.
André Maréchal, an OSA Honorary Member and Fellow and former director general of the French Institut d’Optique. Maréchal received the [OSA]’s highest honor, in 1986, for his work in the areas of coherence, diffraction, geometric optics, image formation and image processing, and for his contributions to the international optics community. His pioneering work influenced the development of computer programs that optimized lens designs and advanced the automatic optimization of optical systems. He strongly contributed to the promotion of Fourier optics and analog optical computing.
Maréchal graduated from the École normale supérieure
in 1941, and received his engineer's degree from SupOptique (École supérieure d'optique
) in 1943. He received a doctor of science degree in engineering from the University of Paris in 1948. For his thesis research, he investigated the combined effects of diffraction and aberrations and derived what is now known as the Maréchal criterion. Formally, that a wavefront can be regarded as diffraction-limited
if its RMS phase error is 14 times less than its wavelength.
Maréchal served as president of the International Commission for Optics
(1962–1966), honorary vice president of the Comité français de physique, and was a founding member of the Franco-Finnish Association for Scientific and Technical Research. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
, and of the French Academy of Technologies
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
researcher and administrator in optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
.
André Maréchal, an OSA Honorary Member and Fellow and former director general of the French Institut d’Optique. Maréchal received the [OSA]’s highest honor, in 1986, for his work in the areas of coherence, diffraction, geometric optics, image formation and image processing, and for his contributions to the international optics community. His pioneering work influenced the development of computer programs that optimized lens designs and advanced the automatic optimization of optical systems. He strongly contributed to the promotion of Fourier optics and analog optical computing.
Maréchal graduated from the École normale supérieure
École normale supérieure
An école normale supérieure or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education in France. A portion of the student body who are French civil servants are called Normaliens....
in 1941, and received his engineer's degree from SupOptique (École supérieure d'optique
École supérieure d'optique
The École supérieure d'optique , nicknamed "SupOptique", is the leading French grande école in the field of optics and its industrial and scientific applications, and a member of the prestigious UniverSud Paris and ParisTech...
) in 1943. He received a doctor of science degree in engineering from the University of Paris in 1948. For his thesis research, he investigated the combined effects of diffraction and aberrations and derived what is now known as the Maréchal criterion. Formally, that a wavefront can be regarded as diffraction-limited
Diffraction-limited
The resolution of an optical imaging system — a microscope, telescope, or camera — can be limited by factors such as imperfections in the lenses or misalignment. However, there is a fundamental maximum to the resolution of any optical system which is due to diffraction...
if its RMS phase error is 14 times less than its wavelength.
Maréchal served as president of the International Commission for Optics
International Commission for Optics
The International Commission for Optics was created in 1947 with the objective to contribute to the progress and dissemination of knowledge in optics....
(1962–1966), honorary vice president of the Comité français de physique, and was a founding member of the Franco-Finnish Association for Scientific and Technical Research. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
, and of the French Academy of Technologies
French Academy of Technologies
The French Academy of Technologies is a learned society, founded in 2000, with an emphasis on technology. It is the newest of French academies...
.
Awards
- 1965 - Young Medal and PrizeYoung Medal and PrizeThe Young Medal and Prize is a prize awarded on odd numbered years by the Institute of Physics in the memory of Thomas Young for distinguished research in the field of optics, including physics outside the visible region.- Young Medalists:...
, for distinguished research in the field of opticsOpticsOptics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
.