Hermann A. Haus

Who was Hermann A. Haus?

Hermann Anton Haus was a Slovene-American physicist, electrical engineer, and Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Haus' research and teaching ranged from fundamental investigations of quantum uncertainty as manifested in optical communications to the practical generation of ultra-short optical pulses. In 1994, the Optical Society of America recognized Dr. Haus' contributions with its Frederic Ives Medal, the society's highest award. Haus authored or co-authored five books and published nearly 300 articles and presented his work at virtually every major conference and symposium on laser and quantum electronics and quantum optics around the world. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1995 and was adopted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007.

He was a grandson of the Austrian admiral Anton Haus. His father, Otto Maximilian Haus, was a leading Slovenian doctor who investigated tuberculosis. The tomb of his great-grandmother Marija Haus is still in Bubnjarci, Croatia.