Editor’s foreword for this special issue

V. A. Baloev
Scientific and Production Association “State Institute of Applied Optics,” Kazan, Russia  

The optics treatise of Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham, 965–1039), considered the “father of modern optics,” was first published in print 450 years ago. In this treatise, which was translated into Latin as early as in the twelfth century, the Egyptian scientist outlined the results of his research in the field of optics. He described the structure of the eye and presented a theory of vision, studied the refraction of light and mirrors of various types, and determined that incident and reflected rays lie in the same plane. He was the first to mention the magnifying effect of a spherical glass element.
The ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who already understood the concept of lenses and the laws of geometric optics, and Alhazen himself could not have known about infrared light, which was discovered by William Herschel in 1800, and only started to have practical applications in the 20th century.
In early thermal vision instruments, the human eye, or more precisely, the visual sensory system (which follows the laws of physiological optics) was the final organ of perception. In the case of modern infrared optoelectronic devices and systems, the data is processed using complex automated devices including hardware supporting neural network algorithms. Given the wide range of applications and purposes for infrared systems, such devices and hardware are developed using a wide variety of different technologies.
In the distant (or perhaps not-so-distant) future, we can expect to see AI-controlled self-improving, self-manufacturing, and self-maintaining organocybernetic systems replace the optoelectronic systems currently in use, but for now, the development of such systems remains the province of highly qualified specialists in various fields.
The human drive to see farther and more clearly, to see the things not visible to the naked eye, has underpinned the development of optics for many centuries and continues to do so.
Experts from the State Institute of Applied Optics (GIPO, Kazan), which celebrates its 65th birthday this year, have substantially contributed to the development of Russian optical science.
The State Institute of Applied Optics is a leading Russian organization in the field of optoelectronic instrumentation, specifically infrared instrumentation.

This special issue of the Journal of Optical Technology covers various types of applied research performed at the State Institute of Applied Optics.

 

Villen Arnoldovich Baloev has worked at the State Institute of Applied Optics since 1985 after graduating from the Physics Department at the Kazan V. I. Ulyanov-Lenin State University. Over his 37 years at the State Institute of Applied Optics, he was gradually promoted from entry-level engineer to director general of the Institute. He is a Candidate in Engineering Sciences, Honored Mechanical Engineer of the Russian Federation, and winner of the Russian Federation State Prize in Science and Engineering. He has authored and coauthored over 160 scientific works and patents. His scientific interests include thermal vision and optimization of optoelectronic system parameters.