Cool

Terrill A. Cool, professor emeritus of applied and engineering physics, died in Ithaca March 5 after a short illness at the age of 75.

Cool's research interests included the application of laser spectroscopy to problems in chemical physics, which ranged from studies of hyperfine quantum beats in laser-excited molecular fluorescence to nonlinear optical methods for combustion diagnostics.

Throughout his 46-year scientific career, he authored more than 100 refereed publications with his graduate students, describing research on the discovery and development of atomic, molecular and chemical lasers; molecular energy transfer; laser spectroscopy; chemi-ionization in flames; laser-based combustion diagnostics; the application of REMPI spectroscopy to ultrasensitive detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon flame radicals; and the use of flame sampling photoionization mass spectrometry for kinetic modeling of the combustion of hydrocarbons, organophosphonates and chlorocarbons.

Born Aug. 18, 1936, in Boulder, Colo., Cool completed his graduate work in plasma physics at California Institute of Technology before joining the Cornell faculty in 1965.

For the past several years, Cool had worked collaboratively with investigators at the Lawrence Berkley Laboratory on numerous research projects. He was a fellow of the American Physical Society and Optical Society of America and was a member of the American Chemical Society and the Combustion Institute.

Cool is survived by his wife, Nancy Cool, three children, two stepchildren and nine grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are being made at the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South St., Trumansburg. A memorial celebrating his life will be held this summer.

Contributions in Cool's memory can be made to Hospicare of Tompkins County, 172 E. King Road, Ithaca, NY 14850.