Catholic physicist. Born Lusignan, France, 5 March 1794; died Paris, France, 21 October 1872. He is best known for his work in optics. Inventor of the Babinet compensator used in the study of elliptically polarized light. He also invented an air-pump, a hygrometer, and a goniometer. "Babinet's theorem", deals with the diffraction of light.New Catholic Dictionary
