Obituary of Dr. Robert Louis Hartman

Robert Louis Hartman, PhD – May 3, 1936 – October 5, 2024

Bob was born in New York City, the second child of Edward and Margaret Hartman. He has been recognized by the IEEE as one of the founders of the field of opto-electronics and an important figure in the development of the semiconductor laser, with more than twenty patents and over 80 publications. He is survived by Monica, his wife of 59 years; his sons, Edward and David; and four grandchildren, Darrow, Langston, Benjamin and Natalie, with a fifth due in January.

In the late 1960s, Bell Laboratories had a problem. They knew that the laser, a recent invention, held enormous promise for fields like telecommunications, electronics, and medicine. But the early devices would quickly self-destruct, torn apart by the enormous heat and energy they generated. As the IEEE put it, “these devices were laboratory novelties, with operating lifetimes measured only in seconds, or at most, minutes.” Using his understanding of mechanics, Bob solved a flaw in the laser design, the famous “dark-line defect”. His solution increased lasers’ lifespan so much that they were soon measured in years. This paved the way for everything from fiber optics to CT scans to the iPhone. In recognition of his contributions, Bob’s portrait has been mounted near the entrance to Bell Lab’s main facility in Murray Hill, NJ.

Bob’s life was almost cut short at age 10, when, swimming in NY’s Jones Beach, he was one of dozens of young people who contracted polio that day. He survived the disease but was left with permanent physical disabilities. The grueling treatment kept him bedridden for several years, but the long periods of isolation gave him time to focus on his academics. This dedication won him admission to the Bronx High School of Science, graduating in 1954 alongside a chess grandmaster and a future editor-in-chief of the NY Times. Scholarships from the IBEW and New York State enabled him to attend Columbia University, emerging twelve years later with a doctorate in Physics. His time at Columbia was capped with an appointment to the graduate faculty of the physics department while he was still only a Masters’ student – an unprecedented honor at the time.

In recognition for his work on semiconductor lasers, Bob was put in charge of the devices for the first transmission system under the Atlantic ocean, and the first across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. These successful projects allowed the first uninterrupted fiber optics communication between these continents. As a result of this and other work, Bob was named both a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of Bell Labs. In 1993, the IEEE honored him with the Engineering Medal and recognized him as one of the founders of the field of opto-electronics.

In the final decade of his life, Bob decided to try his hand at tech entrepreneurship, joining his dear friends and former lab partners, Ramish Bhargava and Alberto Lopez, at NanoCrystal Magnetics (NCM), a venture that is revolutionizing the process for synthesizing powerful, permanent magnets. He will be remembered for his enthusiasm for Beethoven played as loudly as possible, his fondness for frozen yogurt (chocolate only), his dogged pursuit of spotting bears, and his love for family and his fellow human beings.