IKZ researcher Dr. Christian Kränkel elected as OSA Fellow

With more than 20,000 members in more than 100 countries, the Optical Society, founded in 1916, is the leading scientific community in the field of optics and photonics. Each year, a limited number of members who have continuously served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics are elevated to the status of OSA Fellows.

Christian Kränkel received the award for his contributions to the development of novel, tailored rare-earth doped crystals for solid-state lasers in the visible as well as in the near and mid-infrared spectral range. In particular, his work on the growth and characterization of Yb-doped sesquioxide crystals enabled scientific breakthrough results, including the world’s first mode-locked laser resonator with an average output power exceeding 100 W. In addition to his work with laser materials for the infrared spectral range, Christian Kränkel is also one of the world's leading researchers in the field of solid-state lasers with direct emission in the visible spectral range based on Pr³⁺ and Tb³⁺ doped fluoride crystals. Moreover, he has been a committee member of various conferences organized by the OSA for many years and is Associate Editor of the renowned journal "Optics Express".

After completing his PhD thesis at the University of Hamburg and a postdoctoral stay at the ETH Zurich, Christian Kränkel, who holds a habilitation degree in physics, was engaged in research and education as a junior research group leader at the Institut für Laser-Physik at the Universität Hamburg. Since 2018 he successfully continues his research activities at the IKZ as head of the Center for Laser Materials and is a lecturer at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.