From 1987 to 1999, the Laboratory produced a remarkable publication called RLE Currents. Written by Dorothy A. Fleischer, with additional content and editorial guidance from Professor Jonathan Allen (RLE’s fifth Director), RLE Currents set a new standard of writing quality for a publication produced by an MIT department, laboratory or center. Its articles—aimed at the public with a serious interest in science and technology—provide an in-depth survey of the research topics occupying the Research Laboratory of Electronics at the end of the 20th century.

In addition, most issues traced then-contemporary RLE research to their historical antecedents in the Laboratory, revealing the evolving nature of scientific discovery in RLE and its personalities. These issues are often enriched by revealing interviews with RLE investigators and alumni who recall the evolution of their own careers at RLE and MIT.

Principal photographer for RLE Currents was John F. Cook. Design and production were by Everett Design, Inc. Production and editing assistance was provided by other RLE staff. RLE Undercurrents was written by Barbara P. Passero.

RLE Currents | Fall 1999 (12.5mb PDF)

• The Pulse of Ultrafast Optics Research in RLE - Introduction
• Ultrafast Optics Group at RLE - The research of RLE Professors Hermann Haus and Erich Ippen
• Pioneering New Applications for OCT Research - Imaging soft tissues with echoes of light
• Faculty Profile - RLE Professor James Fujimoto
• Director's Message - Message from RLE Director Jonathan Allen
• The Importance of Being Ultrashort - RLE Professor Hermann Haus discusses ultrashort light pulses
• Circuit Breakers - Awards and Honors at RLE

RLE Currents | Spring 1999 (20.9mb PDF)

• Computers as an Enabling Technology for Basic Research in RLE - Introduction
• Optimizing Scientific Computation - Computational Methods in RLE Research
• Human Dimensions of Scientific Computation - Computation in RLE Research on Living Systems
• Enabling New Technologies - Computer Tools and Techniques for Emerging Technologies
• Director's Message - Message from RLE Director Jonathan Allen
• Visualizing the Past at RLE - Ivan E. Sutherland, creator of Sketchpad, the first interactive computer graphics program
• A Sampling of Computational Modeling and Analysis - Several methods in general use
• Leaving a Mark Without a Trace - Digital Watermarking at RLE
• Technological Innovation in Education - Computers as Learning Environments
• Acoustic Phonetics - A new book by RLE Professor Kenneth N. Stevens
• Circuit Breakers - Awards and Honors at RLE
• In Memoriam

RLE Currents | Fall 1998 (18.5mb PDF)

• The Foundations of Next-Generation Electronics: Condensed-Matter Physics at RLE
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Harnessing the Energy of a Single Electron
• Photonic Bandgap Engineering: Lighting the Way to Quantum Circuits
• Faculty Profile: Professor Marc A. Kastner
• RLE Connections
• Circuit Breakers
• RLE’s Fiscal Group
• MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Appoints New Department Heads
• Alumni Notes
• The Lighter Side of Photonic Crystals

RLE Currents | Spring 1998 (13.6mb PDF)

• Changing the Image of Broadcast Technology: RLE's Advanced Television and Signal Processing Group
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Looking Back at Broadcast Research in RLE
• Ernst F.W. Alexanderson
• The Advanced Television Research Program at RLE
• Faculty Profile: Professor Jae S. Lim
• Emmy Heralds the Digital TV Revolution
• RLE Connections
• RLE Labscope: Professor Raymond C. Ashoori
• Building 20: Final Curtain Call
• Building 20: For the Record

RLE Currents | Fall 1997 (19.5mb PDF)

• Crossing the Bridge to Biomedical and Bioengineering Research: RLE's Mass General Hospital and Mass Eye and Ear Connection
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Dennis M. Freeman
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• RLE Connections
• The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology: Making Healthy Connections
• The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary: A Clear Vision, A Sound Future
• Eaton-Peabody Laboratory: From the Beginning
• Memorial: Dorothea C. Scanlon
• Memorial: Helen (Lewis) Thomas

RLE Currents | Spring 1997 (14.9mb PDF)

• Frontiers of Atomic Physics at RLE Research in RLE's Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Wolfgang Ketterle
• Tools of the Trade
• RLE Connections
• Bose-Einstein Condensate: What Does It Matter?
• Memorial: Albert G. Hill
• Memorial: Charles E. Molnar

RLE Currents | Fall 1996 (20mb PDF)

• "Measuring the Return On Investment in University-Based Research" – Dr. Charles M. Vest, MIT President
• The second of two special issues of RLE currents marking the laboratory's 50th anniversary (1946-1996)
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Profiles of RLE Alumni Company Founders
  • Robert N. Noyce
  • Gordon E. Moore
  • H. Richard Johnson
  • David I. Kosowsky
  • Ronald A. Howard
  • Lawrence G. Roberts
  • J. William Poduska, Jr.
  • Richard N. Spann
  • Norman E. Gaut
  • Robert J. Shillman
  • Lutz P. Henckels

RLE Currents | Spring 1996 (17.6mb PDF)

• "On the Road to Success with RLE's Alumni Company Founders"
• The first of two special issues of RLE currents marking the laboratory's 50th anniversary (1946-1996) .
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Profiles of RLE Alumni Company Founders
  • John G. Linvill
  • George N. Hatsopoulos
  • Amar G. Bose
  • L. Dennis Shapiro
  • Irwin M. Jacobs
  • Thomas Kailath
  • James C. Bliss
  • Ivan E. Sutherland
  • Donald H. Steinbrecher
  • Steven G. Finn

RLE Currents | Spring 1994 (16.3mb PDF)

• Solid State Research at RLE "Solid-State Secrets: Probing the Mysteries of Surface Physics at RLE." Research in RLE's Surfaces and Interfaces Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile of Dean Robert J. Birgeneau
• New Eye on the World
• Memorial: Lee A. DuBridge
• Memorial: Julius A. Stratton
• History of RLE Surfaces and Interfaces Research

RLE Currents | Fall 1993 (11.2mb PDF)

• "Making Waves: Electromagnetics Research at RLE." Research in RLE's Electromagnetics Group.
• Faculty Profile of Professor Jin Au Kong
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• MIT Research at Round Hill
• History of RLE Electromagnetics Research

RLE Currents | Spring 1993 (18.8mb PDF)

• Measuring the Dimensions of Sensory Communication at RLE. Research in RLE's Sensory Communication Group as well as the Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Research Consortium.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile of Professor Louis D. Braida
• From a Biophysicist Who Came to Supper
• History of RLE Sensory Communication Research

RLE Currents | Fall 1992 (13.6mb PDF)

• Discovering the Universal Importance of Plasmas at RLE Research in RLE's Plasma Physics Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• "Faculty Profile" of Professor Emeritus William P. Allis
• Lights out for Last LINC
• History of RLE Plasma Physics Research

RLE Currents | Spring 1992 (14.6mb PDF)

• "Chipping Away at VLSI Computer-Aided Design"
• Research in RLE's Circuits and Systems Group.
• Faculty Profile of Professor John L. Wyatt.
• History of VLSI Computer-Aided Design at RLE
• "What About Bob?" The Radio Astronomy Group's investigation of a hurricane.

RLE Currents | Fall 1991 (9.1mb PDF)

• "Pathways to the Future at RLE." Special issue devoted to the future of RLE research and the rapid growth of technology.

RLE Currents | Spring 1991 (18.4mb PDF)

• The MIT Radiation Laboratory: RLE's Microwave Heritage. Special issue celebrating the 50th Anniversary of MIT's Radiation Laboratory.
• "Profiles" on RLE's first four directors: Professors Julius A. Stratton, Albert G. Hill, Jerome B. Wiesner, and Henry J. Zimmermann.
• Director's Message by Professor Jonathan Allen
• Building with a Soul - MIT's Building 20
• A Picture of War
• Please be Seated
• RadLab Reading List

RLE Currents | Fall 1990 (8mb PDF)

• "Radio Astronomy at RLE: All Things Celestial." Research in RLE's Radio Astronomy Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• "Faculty Profile" of Professor Bernard F. Burke.
• "The Right Stuff"
• Dr. Alan Barrett Memorium
• History of RLE Radio Astronomy Research

RLE Currents | Spring 1990 (10.3mb PDF)

• Image Processing at RLE: Focusing on the Future. Various investigators involved in image processing research, including RLE's Advanced Television Research Program.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• "Faculty Profile" of Professor William F. Schreiber.
• History of Image Processing and Transmission at RLE

RLE Currents | December 1989 (7.2mb PDF)

• Auditory Physiology: The Earmark of RLE Research. Research in RLE's Auditory Physiology Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Nelson Y.-S. Kiang
• History of Auditory Physiology at RLE

RLE Currents | June 1989 (7.4mb PDF)

• Digital Signal Processing at RLE: Beyond the Realm of the Disc. Research in RLE's Digital Signal Processing Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Alan V. Oppenheim.
• Obituary of Dennis Klatt
• History of RLE Digital Signal Processing Research

RLE Currents | December 1988 (8.9mb PDF)

• Materials Research: Meeting the Challenge of Microelectronics Technology. RLE's Submicron Structures Laboratory and various investigators involved in electronic and optical materials research.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Henry I. Smith.
• History of RLE Materials Research

RLE Currents | June 1988 (9.4mb PDF)

• Focus: Optics Research at RLE: Optics research in the Optics and Devices Group and by various investigators at RLE.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Faculty Profile: Professor Hermann A. Haus.
• Look up in the Sky--It's LAN!
• History of RLE Optics Research

RLE Currents | December 1987 (5.3mb PDF)

• Overview of RLE Speech Research: RLE's Speech Communication Group.
• Director's Message - Professor Jonathan Allen
• Pult of Cursonality
• Speech Recognition
• Tools of the Trade
• Faculty Profile: Professor Kenneth N. Stevens
• History of RLE Speech Research

UNDERCURRENTS

Undercurrents | Volume 11, No. 2 • Fall 1999 (2.8mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes in Ultrafast Optics

Undercurrents | Volume 10, No. 2 • Fall 1998 (3.2mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes in Condensed Matter Physics Research

Undercurrents | Volume 10, No. 1 • Spring 1998 (1.4mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes in the Advanced Television and Signal Processing Group

Undercurrents | Volume 9, No. 2 • Fall 1997 (2.9mb PDF)

• A Last, Loving Look at an MIT Landmark – Building 20

Undercurrents | Volume 9, No. 1 • Spring 1997 (2.7mb PDF)

• RLE's AMO Team: Virtuosos with Atoms

Undercurrents | Volume 8, No. 1 • Spring 1996 (1.4mb PDF)

• Tom Defilippo Looks at the Whole Picture
• Historical Crossroads
• Into the Winds
• RLE Web Update

Undercurrents | Volume 7, No. 2 • Spring 1994 (1.4mb PDF)

• Smiling Faces Support RLE's Surfaces and Interfaces Group

Undercurrents | Volume 7, No. 1 • Fall 1993 (1.4mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes in RLE's Electromagnetics Group
• Ruth Ippen Garden Dedicated
• Musical Notes

Undercurrents | Volume 6, No. 2 • Spring 1993 (1.4mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes in RLE's Sensory Communication Group
• aRtLE

Undercurrents | Volume 6, No. 1 • Fall 1992 (1.3mb PDF)

• Reflections on Catherine Lorusso
• aRtLE
• Z—A—P! Laser Safety at RLE

Undercurrents | Volume 5, No. 2 • Spring 1992 (1.2mb PDF)

• In Harmony at RLE's Circuits and Systems Group
• aRtLE
• Short Waves

Undercurrents | Volume 5, No. 1 • Fall 1991 (1.3mb PDF)

• Striking a Balance: RLE Fiscal Officer Donald F. Duffy
• Headquarters Surges Ahead with Computer Automation Projects

Undercurrents | Volume 4, No. 2 • Spring 1991 (1.3mb PDF)

• RADLAB/RLE Reflections
• Welcome to RLE
• Safety First
• MIT Community Service Fund

Undercurrents | Volume 4, No. 1 • Fall 1990 (1.1mb PDF)

• Stargazing in Radio Astronomy
• A Rising Star, A Quiescent Star

Undercurrents | Volume 3, No. 2 • Spring 1990 (1.2mb PDF)

• Focus on... Laura and Fran Doughty

Undercurrents | Volume 3, No. 1 • Dec 1989 (1.4mb PDF)

• Focus on... John Cook

Undercurrents | Volume 2, No. 2 • June 1989 (1.1mb PDF)

• Behind the Scenes at The Digital Signal Processing Group

Undercurrents | Volume 2, No. 1 • Dec 1988 (1.2mb PDF)

• Computing at RLE Headquarters
• Drawing from Experience
• Changing of the Guard

Undercurrents | Volume 1, No. 1 • June 1988 (1.2mb PDF)

• Update on New MIT Telephone System

RLE Contact

RLE Currents

RLE Reports to the President

Brochures