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Dr Lourens Botha’s main research activities revolve around ultra-short pulse science and particularly the generation and amplification of ultra-short pulse mid-IR radiation and the coherent control of atomic and molecular system. The very short duration of laser pulses allows the study of motions of atoms and electrons. The impetus for studying the motion of atoms and electrons comes from many areas of science and technology. The ability to look at chemical and biochemical processes is a prerequisite for steering reactions, while insight into the dynamics of electrons and band gaps in semiconductor devices is crucial for speeding up electronic devices.
Current activities
Dr Botha currently leads fundamental and applied research efforts in laser systems, mathematical optics, biophotonics and femtosecond science and spectroscopy. His current area of research is time domain beam shaping of ultra-short pulses and coherent control of atoms and molecules via shaped ultra-short pulses. Background
Dr Botha heads up the laser physics and technology group of the CSIR National Laser Centre. Earlier in his career he worked in private sector, focusing on high power gas lasers and isotope separation. Prior to that he worked in molecular laser isotope separation at the then Atomic Energy Corporation in South Africa.
Dr Botha majored in Physics and Mathematics, obtaining his BSc from the University of Pretoria in 1981, followed by a BSc Hons in Physics in 1982 at the same university. He secured his Master’s degree with a thesis on the influence of stray light on the optical imaging of a catadioptric lens and in 1992 was awarded a PhD in Physics from the University of Natal, Durban for his work on high repetition rate continuously tunable CO2 laser systems. Dr Botha also completed a post graduate course in optoelectronic and laser devices at Heriott-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dr Botha has extensively contributed to refereed journals and conference presentations (list), while full text versions of research undertaken at the CSIR, can be found via the CSIR research database.
Organisational details:
CSIR National Laser Centre
PO Box 395
Pretoria
South Africa
Email: LRBotha@csir.co.za
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