Arthur Leonard Schawlow

Arthur Leonard Schawlow
Arthur Leonard Schawlow in 1981
Born(1921-05-05)May 5, 1921
DiedApril 28, 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 77)
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
Known forLaser spectroscopy
Laser cooling
Schawlow–Townes approximation
SpouseAurelia Townes (m. 1951; 3 children)
AwardsStuart 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
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsBell Labs
Columbia University
Stanford University
Doctoral advisorMalcolm Crawford
Doctoral studentsAntoinette 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]

  1. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  2. ^ Hänsch, Theodor W. (December 1999). "Obituary: Arthur Leonard Schawlow". Physics Today. 52 (12): 75–76. Bibcode:1999PhT....52l..75H. doi:10.1063/1.2802854.