Al-Haitham (Alhazen), 965-1040

Abu Ali Hasan Ibn al-Haitham (known in the West as Alhazen) made a thorough examination of the passage of light through various media and discovered the laws of refraction. He also carried out the first experiments on the dispersion of light into its constituent colours. Through his extensive researches, he has been considered as the father of modern Optics.