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Dr Andrew Forbes studies laser beam propagation through linear,
non-linear and turbulent media, wavefront measurement, modelling
and control for laser beam shaping applications, and laser
resonator analysis and design.
Current research
Dr Forbes and his group of mathematical optics researchers,
are studying various aspects of modern optics, including
laser beam shaping, laser beam propagation and novel resonators.
They are interested in both the mathematical basis of these
fields and the applications of this research in such diverse
areas as optical tweezing in bio-photonics, high energy
laser delivery through a turbulence atmosphere, novel gas
lenses for variable focal lengths and flat-top beams for
studies in high pressure and high temperature physics.
Background
Dr Forbes has extensive experience in optical and laser
design, as well as experimentation and theoretical analysis
of optical processes. He has spent several years working
as an applied laser physicist, first for the South African
Atomic Energy Corporation on high power lasers for the MLIS
process for uranium enrichment, and later on gas lasers
for laser ultrasonic applications.
Dr Forbes obtained his BSc (Physics/Mathematics) from the
University of Natal, Durban in 1990. He obtained a Higher
Diploma in Education two years later and went on to an MSc
and PhD in Laser Optics from the same university.
He is on the organising committee of the SPIE Laser Beam
Shaping conference, and is an active member of SPIE. He
is also a member, and secretary, of the South African Institute
of Physics' ‘Laser Optics and Spectroscopy’
specialist group. Dr Forbes is an honorary staff member
of the School
of Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Dr Forbes's presentations have been included in numerous
conference proceedings and he has published extensively
in peer-reviewed journals in his field. Listings
of papers, presentations, book chapters and conference proceedings
as well as journal listings are available, while full text
versions of recent CSIR research, which he authored, are
available through the CSIR's research database. He contributes
to human capital development in his field through supervising
MSc and PhD students.
Organisational details:
CSIR
PO Box 395
Pretoria
0001
South Africa
Email: aforbes1@csir.co.za
Publications
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