Charles Townes, 99, inventor of laser, dies

CBS News ^ | 01/28/2015 | Gregory Bull

[SeekAndFind]

BERKELEY, Calif. - Charles Townes, professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley who shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the laser died Tuesday, according to Berkeley's website.

Townes, 99, had been in failing health and passed away en route to the hospital.

"The passing away of Professor Charles Townes today marks the end of an era," said astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel, a colleague and professor of physics at UC Berkeley. "He was one of the most important experimental physicists of the last century."

In 1951, Townes was seated on a park bench in Washington, D.C. when he thought up the solution to the problem of how to create a beam of pure short-wavelength, high-frequency light. Later in 1954, he built a device that stimulated molecules to emit microwaves in a coherent burst and called it a maser, for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

In 1958, he and brother-in-law, and future Nobel Prize winner, Arthur Schawlow came up with the idea of doing the same with an optical light, but this time using mirrors at the ends of a gas tube for light amplification, which he called an "optical maser." Townes kept the patent on the maser, while Bell Labs patented the laser. Townes was appointed as director of research for the U.S. government's Institute of Defense Analysis in 1959. Meanwhile, scientist Theodore Maiman demonstrated the first laser - light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation - in 1960.

Townes shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention in 1964, sharing it with Russian scientists Aleksandr M. Prokhorov and Nicolai G. Basov, who independently developed their idea for a maser.

[freedomlover]

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[tang-soo]

This is sad news. I've been working on a Christian novel for several years. The initial section (about 75 pages) deals with the invention of the MASER/LASER as recounted in Towne's book "How the LASER Happened: Adventures of a Scientist".

My story includes a fictional account of Dr. Townes and his future brother-in-law Art Schawlow as they journey through the various people and circumstances that lead to their discoveries - unknowingly assisted along the way by a couple of other quirky characters.

I actually have a personal letter from him from a few years ago where he politely explained he did not have time to read my manuscript. I had hoped to get it published before he passed away. he would have been 100 this July.

[tang-soo]

I should have added that I had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Helmut (Hap) Schulz shortly before he passed away a few years ago. He provided the initial $10,000 funding to Townes that led to the discovery of the MASER/LASER. He represented Union Carbon Corp - later Union Carbide and was searching for scientist to research higher frequency tracking capabilities - this was in the later 40s shortly after the invention of RADAR. that started a long relationship between Schulz and Townes.

Schulz was a very interesting character - he was blinded in a lab accident while a graduate student at Columbia University, but continued with his studies. He actually attributed his "handicap" as a tool since he encouraged him to perform "mind experiments" and enhanced his analytical skills as it forced him to ponder more and physically experiment less. He went on to eventually work for the US DoD and oversaw several hundred rocket scientists. He was also recognized as a distinguished graduate of Columbia University.

[minnesota_bound]

Zack: Whoa! Is that the laser? It’s bitchin’.

Sheldon: Yes. In 1917, when Albert Einstein established the theoretic foundation for the laser in his paper Zur Quantentheorie der Strahlung, his fondest hope was that the resultant device be bitchin’.

[Liberty Valance]

Rest in peace Professor Townes. Saw my first laser in about 1966 in Albuquerque. I was in Boy Scouts and a scientist from Sandia Labs brought one to demostrate for our Troop. It was amazing then and still amazing to this day.

[moovova]

Boom, boom, boom, out like a...

[ExCTCitizen]

Prayers to his family...RIP Mr. Townes.