Wang Daheng

Wang Daheng a Chinese optical physicist of the twentieth century (1915-2011) who is regarded as the founder of modern optics in China and who led the development of optical instruments, laser technology and precision measurement for both research and national defence.

Early Life and Education

Wang Daheng was born on 26 February 1915 in Wuxian, in Jiangsu province, into a family with a tradition of learning. He was educated in Suzhou and Shanghai and showed a strong interest in physics and engineering from an early age. He entered the department of physics of Tsinghua University, one of the best scientific schools in the country, and graduated in 1936.

After graduation he taught for a period and then, in 1938, travelled to Britain to continue his studies. He enrolled at the University of London and later at the University of Sheffield, where he worked on applied optics and the design of optical instruments. His British training gave him command of a field that was then almost unknown in China.

He received his doctorate for research on optical systems and metrology. He was recognised as a careful and inventive designer, and he took particular interest in the use of light for precise measurement, an area that would become central to his later career. He returned to China in 1948, arriving as the country stood on the threshold of profound change.

Founding Modern Optics in China

On his return Wang Daheng took up a post at a research institute in Changchun and set about creating a school of optics where none had existed. He organised laboratories, recruited and trained young researchers, and established the systematic study of optical design, optical materials and precision instruments in China. The institute he built became the country's leading centre for the field.

He wrote foundational works on optical design and on the theory of optical instruments, and he guided the production of the first Chinese-made optical glass and precision lenses. Under his direction the institute devised instruments for surveying, for military observation and for scientific research, reducing the country's dependence on imported equipment.

He insisted that optics was not merely a service discipline but a science with deep problems of its own, from the aberrations of lenses to the coherence of light. This emphasis on both practical instrument-making and fundamental theory shaped the development of the field for decades and produced a generation of optical physicists.

Laser and Precision Technology

With the invention of the laser in 1960, Wang Daheng recognised at once its scientific and practical importance and moved to establish laser research in China. He organised programmes on laser physics, on the interaction of intense light with matter and on the application of lasers to measurement, communication and materials processing.

He directed the development of high-power lasers and of the associated optical and electronic technologies, work that supported both scientific research and defence applications. His institute became a centre for the study of nonlinear optics and of the coherence properties of light, and it trained many of the specialists who carried the field forward.

He also applied his expertise to metrology. He worked on the establishment of national standards of length and on the use of interferometry and laser techniques for measurement of the highest precision. This work linked fundamental optics to the practical needs of industry, and it helped to modernise Chinese manufacturing and instrumentation.

National Programmes and Administration

Wang Daheng was one of the scientists who proposed the 863 Programme, the national high-technology development plan launched in 1986. He argued for the importance of lasers, space technology and advanced materials, and he helped to shape the priorities of the programme and the institutions through which it was carried out.

He served as the head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and he was a member of the presidium of the Academy of Sciences. In these roles he promoted basic research, advocated international scientific exchange and worked to rebuild the research community after the disruptions of the Cultural Revolution.

He was also active as a statesman of science, taking part in national planning and in the reform of scientific institutions. He spoke for the value of long-term investment in research, of the autonomy of the scientist and of the need to connect science with the practical problems of the country while preserving the freedom of inquiry that genuine discovery demands.

Influence and Legacy

Wang Daheng is honoured as the founder of modern optics in China. The institutes, laboratories and educational programmes he established became the backbone of the field, and the instruments and techniques he helped to develop found use in astronomy, defence, medicine and industry. His students and successors occupy leading positions throughout Chinese science.

He received the two bombs and one satellite meritorious medal for his contributions to national defence, as well as the highest state prizes for science and technology. His name is attached to an institute of optics and to a number of awards, and his writings on optical design remain a standard reference for students.

He died on 21 July 2011 in Beijing at the age of ninety-six. His long career spanned almost the entire development of modern optics, from the design of simple lenses to the era of lasers and precision metrology, and he is remembered as the figure who gave the discipline a home in China.

See also

• Zhu Guangya
• 863 Programme
• Chinese Academy of Engineering
• Optical metrology