ONE of the pioneers of Free Electron Laser (FEL) technology visited NTU for a week as a Cheng Tsang Man visiting scholar, sharing his expertise in the laser technology with students on January 14th.

“Free Electron Laser technology is a very unique and expensive technology, only conducted in fifty or more countries,” he explained. “So I was very surprised and happy that there were students here in NTU who were interested to pursue a career in this field.”

Dr Avraham (Avi) Gover currently chairs the Physical Electronics Department of Tel-Aviv University in Israel. His FEL technology is able to quickly detect hidden items and explosives, making it an important tool in anti-terrorism warfare

FEL also holds great promise in medical imaging, or more specifically, in detecting skin cancer. Already underway are projects by companies that make use of FEL technology to conduct angiography—an X-ray examination of the veins and heart.

Closer to home, Dr Gover has been working with Associate Professor Ricky Ang and Electronic and Electrical Engineering students to develop better, smaller, lasers.

 “Currently, the lasers operating in the X-ray range can be as big as a basketball court. We are aiming to reduce them to the size of a desk,” said Dr Gover.

In addition, a group of EEE students are working to develop electron guns for the less demanding uses of FEL technology.

Dr Gover said he found working with NTU’s staff and students very meaningful, in light of Israel and Singapore’s history of economic and defence cooperation.

Highlighting similarities between the two countries in terms of size and population, he commented that there was much to be learnt from having close ties with each other.

Dr Gover is optimistic about future exchanges between Tel-Aviv University and NTU, citing the collaboration between Israel’s National Research Institution and Singapore as an example.

“Despite being so culturally diverse, Singapore does a good job keeping good order and discipline,” he said. “

The education system is excellent, and NTU students are recognised internationally for their work.”