Renowned Physicist and World Expert on Laser Gyros Dies at 87
American Physicist Frederick Aronowitz, leading expert on laser gyro technology, died on December 17, 2022, in Belmont, MA. He was 87 years old.
Anyone who has flown in a commercial jetliner, starting with the Boeing 757, has benefited from
Dr. Aronowitz’ success in developing ring laser gyro technology for high performance navigation. He is widely recognized as the primary theorist, analyst, and advocate for laser gyros. He published the first comprehensive analysis of the laser gyro in 1965, describing its salient features in exquisite detail. His many papers and textbooks delineating the fundamental physics of the laser gyro established the scientific basis for a broad range of applications, including use in military aircraft, commercial aviation, ships, and spacecraft. Dr. Aronowitz had great insight into the capabilities of laser gyro technology and championed a course of action to bring the laser gyro to practical fruition. He held five patents for features of laser gyro navigational systems. The recognized expert on laser gyros, he was invited to lecture, publish, and consult on a regular basis.
Dr. Aronowitz revolutionized the field of inertial navigation systems, for which he received many prestigious awards. Top among them was The Elmer A. Sperry Award (1984), given jointly by leading engineering societies. The American Institute of Physics presented him with the Industrial Physics Prize (1984), and the IEEE bestowed the Kershner Award (1988) on Dr. Aronowitz for his substantial contribution to the modern era of electronic navigation.
He was born on July 3, 1935, in
New York City to Nathan Aronowitz and Beatrice Gordon Aronowitz. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1952, received his B.S. in physics from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1956, and a Ph.D. in physics from New York University in 1969. He taught at
NYU for several years before joining the Systems & Research Center at Honeywell in Minneapolis. In 1983, he moved to the Raytheon Company in Massachusetts as Manager of
Laser Gyro Development, and then to California as Chief Scientist for Rockwell International (now Boeing) as the laser gyro expert.
Fred was an expert chess and bridge player. He loved traveling, Gilbert and Sullivan, and he was an elegant dancer (like his mother and grandfather). His favorite piece of music was the Second Waltz by Shostakovich. He surprised and delighted one of his daughters with a flawless dance to the music of Oscar d’León on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
He leaves his wife of 53 years Marguerite Madison Aronowitz; three daughters, Malica, Michelle, and Jacqueline; three grandchildren; a sister Paula; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was loved dearly and will be sorely missed by those who knew his kind soul and dry sense of humor.