Peter Knight (physicist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Knight FRS HonFInstP
Born	(1947-08-12) 12 August 1947 (age 77) Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK
Citizenship	British
Education	Bedford Modern School
Alma mater	Sussex University
Awards	Young Medal and Prize (1999) IET Faraday Medal (2019)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	Imperial College London Royal Holloway, University of London
Doctoral advisor	Les Allen

Sir Peter Leonard Knight FRS HonFInstP (born 12 August 1947) is a famous British physicist. He is a professor of quantum optics at Imperial College London. He also leads the Kavli Royal Society International Centre. Sir Peter is a top expert in quantum optics, which studies how light and matter interact at a tiny, quantum level. He has won many important awards, like the Royal Medal and the Thomas Young Medal and Prize. He was also the president of the Institute of Physics and Optica. He was the first person from outside North America to lead Optica. People describe him as "one of the UK’s most influential scientists."

Sir Peter Knight's Research Work

Sir Peter Knight's main work is in theoretical quantum optics. This field looks at how light behaves at the smallest possible level. He also studies strong field physics and quantum information science. Quantum information science is about using quantum ideas to process information.

Early Education and University Life

Sir Peter went to Bedford Modern School when he was younger. For university, he first studied chemistry at Sussex University. However, he soon found that physics interested him much more. He earned his first degree and his D.Phil. (a type of doctorate) from Sussex University.

After that, he worked as a researcher in the United States. He spent three years doing research at the University of Rochester and SLAC at Stanford University. This experience allowed him to work with "incredibly gifted people." He then returned to Sussex University as a research fellow. Later, he was a visiting scientist at Johns Hopkins University in the US.

Working at Imperial College London

From 1976 to 1978, Sir Peter was a Jubilee Research Fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London. He then received a special fellowship that allowed him to move to Imperial College London in 1979. He has been at Imperial College ever since.

He started as a lecturer in 1983. He became a reader in 1987 and a full professor in 1988. Until 2010, he also served as the deputy rector of Imperial College. In this role, he was in charge of the college's research.

Advisory Roles and Public Speaking

As a leader in quantum optics, Sir Peter serves on several important advisory boards. These include the UK Quantum Technology Initiative Strategy Advisory Board. He also advised the Ministry of Defence for many years.

Sir Peter has also spoken publicly about how science is funded in the UK. He has warned against cutting money for science. He believes this could harm the British economy. He often encourages girls to study STEM subjects. He also supports women working in science.

Editor of Science Journals

Besides his research, Sir Peter was an editor for over 20 years for the Journal of Modern Optics. He is still an editor for Contemporary Physics. The Royal Society calls him "an influential figure within the wider UK physics community."

Leadership and Senior Positions

Sir Peter Knight is now an Emeritus Professor in the physics department at Imperial College London. This means he has retired but still holds an honorary position. Since 2010, he has been a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Kavli Royal Society International Centre. This center is located at Chicheley Hall.

He has also been a visiting professor at other universities around the world. These include the University of Louvain-la-Neuve and the University of Konstanz. He has also visited the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Rochester.

Fellowships and Presidencies

Since 1999, Sir Peter has been a fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. He was president of the Institute of Physics from 2011 to 2013. In 2004, he was president of Optica. He was the first person from outside North America to hold this position. He was also a member of the Royal Society's council.

He was elected an honorary fellow of the Institute of Physics. This was to recognize his "major contributions to physics." These contributions include his important research and his leadership roles.

Government Advisor

Sir Peter was the Chief Scientific Advisor for the National Physical Laboratory until he retired. He also chairs NPL's Quantum Metrology Institute. He continues to advise the British government on science matters.

Awards and Honors

Sir Peter Knight has received many important awards and honors for his work.

Knighthood

He was knighted by the Queen in 2005. This means he received the title "Sir" for his contributions.

Major Medals

He received the Frederic Ives Medal in 2008. In 2010, he was awarded the Royal Medal. He has also received awards from the Institute of Physics. These include the Thomas Young Medal in 1999 and the Glazebrook Medal.

Honorary Doctorates

Many universities have given Sir Peter honorary doctorates. These are special degrees given to people who have achieved great things. He received them from Heriot-Watt University (2010), University of Sussex (2010), University of Glasgow (2015), and University of Birmingham (2017).

Other Recognitions

In 2012, he became a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In 2019, he received the Herbert Walther Award. This was for his excellent work in quantum information science.

Also in 2019, he received the Faraday Medal. This is the highest award from the Institution of Engineering and Technology. It recognized his "outstanding contribution in the field of quantum engineering." The award noted his key role in creating the National Quantum Technologies Programme. This program has made the UK a leader in quantum science and engineering.

In 2024, he was named an Optica Honorary Member.

Notable Publications

Sir Peter Knight has written several books and hundreds of scientific papers. He is an ISI Highly Cited author. This means his work is often referred to by other scientists. Some of his publications include:

• Concepts of quantum optics (1983)
• Squeezed light : special issue (1987) with Rodney Loudon
• The quantum-jump approach to dissipative dynamics in quantum optics (1998) with M.B. Plenio
• Atomic physics with super-high intensity lasers (1997) with M. Protopapas and Christoph Keitel
• Introductory quantum optics (2004) with Christopher C. Gerry
• Springer handbook of atomic, molecular, and optical physics (2006) with S. Scheel (a chapter)
• The Jaynes-Cummings Model (2007) with Bruce Shore

See also

• Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain
• Immanuel Bloch
• Nonclassical light
• Optics
• Robert Boyd (physicist)
• Steven Girvin
• Vlatko Vedral