Arthur Leonard Schawlow | |
|---|---|
 Arthur Leonard Schawlow in 1981 | |
| Born | May 5, 1921 Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 28, 1999 (aged 77) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Known for | Laser spectroscopy Laser cooling Schawlow–Townes approximation |
| Spouse | Aurelia Townes (m. 1951; 3 children) |
| Awards | Stuart Ballantine Medal (1962) IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award (1964) Richtmyer Memorial Award (1970) Frederic Ives Medal (1976) Marconi Prize (1977) Nobel Prize for Physics (1981) National Medal of Science (1991) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Bell Labs Columbia University Stanford University |
| Doctoral advisor | Malcolm Crawford |
| Doctoral students | Antoinette Taylor Wendell T. Hill Michael Duryea Williams |
Arthur Leonard Schawlow (May 5, 1921 – April 28, 1999) was an American physicist who, along with Charles Townes, developed the theoretical basis for laser science. His central insight was the use of two mirrors as the resonant cavity to take maser action from microwaves to visible wavelengths. He shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics with Nicolaas Bloembergen and Kai Siegbahn for his work using lasers to determine atomic energy levels with great precision.[1][2]
- ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ Hänsch, Theodor W. (December 1999). "Obituary: Arthur Leonard Schawlow". Physics Today. 52 (12): 75–76. Bibcode:1999PhT....52l..75H. doi:10.1063/1.2802854.