Theodore_Litovitz
Theodore Litovitz
American physicist
Theodore Aaron Litovitz (October 14, 1923 – May 1, 2006) was physics professor at The Catholic University of America and a prolific inventor.
His inventions include a method to safely store nuclear waste, an electronic chip (EMX Biochip) to shield cell phone users from harmful electromagnetic radiation,[1][2] and some of the early fiber optics now used in telecommunications. Litovitz held 25 patents, and was the co-founder of Catholic University's Vitreous State Laboratory,[3] where students used vitrification to immobilize radioactive waste. The process he pioneered is expected to save 20 years and $20 billion in cleanup costs at the government's Hanford Nuclear Reservation alone.[4]
During the Vietnam War, Litovitz developed an infrared transmitting window used in a U-2 spy plane. He also helped develop a cheap glass fiber intended to replace copper wire, "a giant leap to the fiber optics revolution".[4]