XVIII International Feofilov Symposium

Petr P. Feofilov, one of the most famous Russian researchers in optical spectroscopy in the XX century, began his research under the supervision of the Academician Sergey I. Vavilov. Feofilov has made a great contribution to the development of physics of crystals doped with transition metal ions. He is one of the first in the world to have begun the systematic investigation of the optical properties of crystals comprising ions with uncompleted shell, e.g. rare earth (RE) ions and uranium. He was the first to state such essential problems as multiple activator sites problem, crystal-chemical conditions of activation, physical structure and energy of the RE-sites. Feofilov has developed and successfully implemented the method of polarized luminescence for investigation of the RE-sites. The book «Polarized luminescence of molecules, solutions and crystals» now is a classical course book to study luminescence spectroscopy. The studies of luminescence properties of crystals performed by Feofilov have allowed the creation one of the first solid state lasers based on calcium fluoride doped with samarium and uranium ions. The research by Feofilov has a great impact on such areas of solid state physics as crystallography and optical spectroscopy of defects in crystals. Besides, Feofilov was a friendly, open-minded and talented person.