Olli V. Lounasmaa and His Low Temperature Laboratory

011i Lounasmaa was foremost a developer of ultra low temperature techniques and physics, with a vivid vision of where the discipline should be heading during the second half of the twentieth century. He was a true experimentalist who set out to do the important measurement with the best techniques available, but then insisted on working out a theoretical understanding of the discoveries. He was also a skillful organizer who with his students started a large laboratory. Thanks to his strong public standing as a science administrator, the laboratory enjoyed above average material resources, but also achieved striking results under his inspiring leadership. A lively collaboration with other low temperature laboratories around the world flourished and led to ground-breaking joint research.