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Institute of Physical Optics

The Institute of Physical Optics has been founded according to the Decree of The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from July 07 and a respective Decree of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine from September 18, 1992. It is subordinated directly to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Structure

Department of parametrical optics

group of gradient optics and polarimetry;
group of biological optics and liquid crystals;
group of optical spectroscopy;

Department of optical materials

group of crystal growth
group of optical materials

From the very moment of its foundation, the principle directions of its scientific activities were as follows:

parametric crystal optics and optics of phase transitions;
gradient optical effects and optics of incommensurate structures;
methods for optical measurements;
optical principles of storage and communications.

During more than ten years of activities, the subjects of studies have expanded so as to include:

biooptics, optical tomography;
optics of circularly polarized waves;
optics and acoustics of phase transitions at high hydrostatic
pressures;
optics of liquid crystals;
optical spectroscopy (Raman scattering, absorption spectroscopy,etc.);
technology of crystal growth (including that of bio-crystals);
magnetooptics;
non-linear and parametric optics with account of spatial
dispersion.

The most interesting scientific results obtained at the Institute are theoretical description and discovery of gradient effects of parametric crystal optics;
combined studies (including optical and acoustical ones) of crystals with incommensurate phases and their real structure, using the Raman scattering and AFM techniques; discovery and comprehensive studies for new effects of optics of circularly polarized light waves (acousto-gyration light diffraction and two-beam "circular refraction");
study of higher-order parametric effects; discovery of "forbidden" domain structure in ferroelastics and specific points at the phase diagrams in solids (the isolated point and the "infinitely distant" point);
studies for the absorption spectra of hemoglobin of patients with mental affections;
computer simulations of lattice dynamics of the incommensurate crystals;
growth of borate crystals with different isotopic substitutions, solid solutions of langbeinite, protein crystals, etc.

An automated imaging polarimeter for the recon-struction of mechanical strain field distribution, an automated optical microscope for studying dynamic processes, an automated dilatometer with the displacement measurement sensitivity of 2nm and a magnetooptic facility for studying high magnetic fields are the original elaborations of the Institute.
The results of scientific investigations are published in more than 700 scientific papers, abstracts, patents and books. The Institute has conducted the International Meeting on Parametric Crystal Optics (PARAOPT`2001) and the 1st Ukrainian Workshop on Ferroelectricity (1999).

The Ukrainian Journal of Physical Optics has been founded and is being published till now by the Institute.

During recent about 20 years, more than 20 co-workers of the Institute have obtained Ph.D. degree and 10 have got Dr. Hab. degree on the speciality "Optics and Laser Physics". Many of them have prolonged their postdoctoral researches in the foremost Universities around the world, e.g., the Universities of Waseda, Vienna, Paris, Saarbrucken, etc.