Arthur Leonard Schawlow

Arthur Schawlow
Born(1921-05-05)May 5, 1921
Mount Vernon, New York, US
DiedApril 28, 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 77)
Palo Alto, California, US
Known for
Spouse
Aurelia Townes
​
​
(m. 1951; died 1991)​
Children3
Awards
Academic background
Education
Malcolm F. Crawford
Academic work
DisciplineOptics
Sub-discipline
Laser science
Institutions
Doctoral students
  • Wendell T. Hill
  • Antoinette Taylor
  • 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]

Biography

Arthur Leonard Schawlow was born on May 5, 1921, in Mount Vernon, New York, to a Jewish father from Riga and a Canadian mother. Schawlow was raised in his mother's Protestant religion.[3] When Arthur was three years old, they moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

At the age of 16, Schawlow completed high school at Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute, and received a scholarship in science at the University of Toronto (Victoria College). He obtained his B.A. in 1941 and his M.A. the following year. He received his Ph.D. in 1949 under Professor Malcolm F. Crawford.[4] Schawlow then took a postdoctoral position with Charles Townes in the Physics Department of Columbia University in the fall of 1949.

Schawlow went on to accept a position at Bell Telephone Laboratories in late 1951. He left in 1961 to become Professor of Physics at Stanford University, where he remained until his retirement in 1991.

Although his research focused on optics, in particular lasers and their use in spectroscopy, Schawlow also pursued investigations in the areas of superconductivity and nuclear resonance. Schawlow shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics with Nicolaas Bloembergen and Kai Siegbahn for their contributions to the development of laser spectroscopy.[5]

Schawlow co-authored the widely used text Microwave Spectroscopy (1955) with Charles Townes. Schawlow and Townes were the first to publish the theory of laser design and operation in their seminal 1958 paper on "optical masers",[6] although Gordon Gould is often credited with the "invention" of the laser, due to his unpublished work that predated Schawlow and Townes by a few months.[7] The first working laser was made in 1960 by Theodore Maiman.

Science and religion

Schawlow participated in science and religion discussions. Regarding God, he stated, "I find a need for God in the universe and in my own life."[8]

Personal life

In 1951, Schawlow married Aurelia Townes, the younger sister of Charles Townes. They had three children: Arthur Jr., Helen, and Edith. Arthur Jr. is autistic, with very little speech ability. Aurelia died in 1991 following a vehicle accident.

Schawlow and Professor Robert Hofstadter at Stanford, who also had an autistic child, teamed up to help each other find solutions to the condition. Arthur Jr. was put in a special center for autistic individuals, and later, Schawlow put together an institution to care for people with autism in Paradise, California. It was later named the Arthur Schawlow Center in 1999, shortly before his death. Schawlow was a promoter of the controversial method of facilitated communication with patients of autism.[9][10]

Schawlow considered himself to be an orthodox Protestant Christian, and attended a Methodist church.[3] Arthur Schawlow was an intense fan and collector of traditional American jazz recordings, as well as a supporter of instrumental groups performing this type of music.

Schawlow died of leukemia on April 28, 1999, in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 77.

Recognition

Awards

Year Organization Award Citation Ref.
1962 United States Franklin Institute Stuart Ballantine Medal[a] "For theoretical work on MASER operation." [11]
1963 United Kingdom Institute of Physics Thomas Young Medal and Prize[a] — [12]
1964 United States IEEE IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award "For his pioneering and continuing contributions in the field of optical masers." [13]
1970 United States AAPT Richtmyer Memorial Award — [14]
1976 United States Optical Society of America Frederic Ives Medal "In recognition of his pioneering role in the invention of the laser, his continuing originality in the refinement of coherent optical sources, his productive vision in the application of optics to science and technology, his distinguished service to optics education and to the optics community, and his innovative contributions to the public understanding of optical science." [15]
1977 United States Marconi Society Marconi Prize "For his research in the fields of optical and microwave spectroscopy, nuclear quadruple resonance superconductivity and lasers." [16]
1981 Sweden Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Nobel Prize in Physics[b] "For their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy." [5]

Honorary degrees

Year University Degree Ref.
1968 Belgium Ghent University Doctor of Science [17]
1970 Canada University of Toronto Doctor of Laws [18]
1986 Republic of Ireland Trinity College Dublin Doctor of Science [19]

Memberships

Year Organization Type Ref.
1970 United States American Academy of Arts and Sciences Member [20]
1970 United States National Academy of Sciences Member [21]
1983 United States Optical Society of America Honorary Member [22]
1984 United States American Philosophical Society Member [23]

National awards

Year Head of state Award Citation Ref.
1991 United States George H. W. Bush National Medal of Science "For his role in the conception of the laser and in advancing its applications, especially in laser spectroscopy." [24]

Commemoration

In 1991, the American Physical Society established the Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science. The Prize is awarded annually to "candidates who have made outstanding contributions to basic research using lasers."

Bibliography

  • Schawlow, A L (1995), "Principles of lasers", Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine & Surgery, vol. 13, no. 3 (published June 1995), pp. 127–30, doi:10.1089/clm.1995.13.127, PMID 10150635
  • Schawlow, AL (1982), "Spectroscopy in a New Light", Science, vol. 217, no. 4554 (published July 2, 1982), pp. 9–16, Bibcode:1982Sci...217....9S, doi:10.1126/science.217.4554.9, PMID 17739964
  • Schawlow, AL (1978), "Laser Spectroscopy of Atoms and Molecules", Science, 202 (4364) (published October 13, 1978): 141–147, Bibcode:1978Sci...202..141S, doi:10.1126/science.202.4364.141, PMID 17801904
  • McCaul, B W; Schawlow, A L (1969), "Plasma refractive effects in HCN lasers", Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., vol. 168, no. 3 (published February 10, 1969), pp. 697–702, Bibcode:1969NYASA.168..697M, doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1969.tb43154.x, PMID 5273948, S2CID 31588499
  • Schawlow, A L (1966), "Lasers", International Ophthalmology Clinics, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 241–51, doi:10.1097/00004397-196600620-00002, PMID 5958291

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Arthur Leonard Schawlow.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Shared with Charles Townes.
  2. ^ Shared with Nicolaas Bloembergen and Kai Siegbahn.

References

  1. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Retrieved August 10, 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.
  3. ^ a b "The religion of Arthur Schawlow, Nobel Prize-winning physicist; worked with lasers". www.adherents.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007.
  4. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". history.aip.org. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Nobel Prize in Physics 1981". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
  6. ^ Schawlow, Arthur L.; Townes, Charles H. (December 1958). "Infrared and optical masers". Physical Review. 112 (6–15): 1940–1949. Bibcode:1958PhRv..112.1940S. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.112.1940.
  7. ^ Taylor, Nick (2000). LASER: The inventor, the Nobel laureate, and the thirty-year patent war. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 62–70. ISBN 0-684-83515-0. OCLC 122973716.
  8. ^ Margenau, H. (1992), Cosmos, Bios, Theos: Scientists Reflect on Science, God, and the Origins of the Universe, Life, and Homo sapiens, Open Court Publishing Company, p. 105 co-edited with Roy Abraham Varghese. This book is mentioned in a December 28, 1992 Time magazine article: Galileo And Other Faithful Scientists
  9. ^ "Arthur Schawlow, Nobel laureate and co-inventor of the laser, dies: 4/99". News-service.stanford.edu. May 5, 1999. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  12. ^ "Thomas Young Medal and Prize recipients". Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on January 4, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  13. ^ "IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  14. ^ "Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award". www.aapt.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  15. ^ "Frederic Ives Medal / Jarus W. Quinn Prize". www.optica.org. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  16. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow, 1977". Marconi Society. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  17. ^ "Overview doctors 'honoris causa' (1919-2004)". www.ugent.be. Archived from the original on February 9, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  18. ^ "List of Honorary Degree Recipients - Chronological Order". University of Toronto. Archived from the original on August 28, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  19. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients 1972 - 2025". www.tcd.ie. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  20. ^ "Arthur Leonard Schawlow". www.amacad.org. Archived from the original on January 15, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  21. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". www.nasonline.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  22. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". www.optica.org. Archived from the original on February 4, 2026. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  24. ^ "Arthur L. Schawlow". nationalmedals.org. Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
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