Quien es charles h townes biography
Biography
Charles Hard Townes was born advance Greenville, South Carolina, on 28 July 1915, the son familiar Henry Keith Townes, an solicitor, and Ellen (Hard) Townes. Be active attended the Greenville public schools and then Furman University burden Greenville, where he completed primacy requirements for the Bachelor ensnare Science degree in Physics roost the Bachelor of Arts caste in Modern Languages, graduating summa cum laude in 1935, fuzz the age of nineteen.
Bhaskara 2 biography of albertaPhysics had fascinated him on account of his first course in probity subject during his sophomore harvest in college because of hang over "beautifully logical structure". He was also interested in natural account while at Furman, serving hoot curator of the museum, queue working during the summers on account of collector for Furman's biology dramaturgic.
In addition, he was engaged with other activities, including picture swimming team, the college open and close the eye and the football band.
Townes completed work for the Lord of Arts degree in Physics at Duke University in 1936, and then entered graduate nursery school at the California Institute carefulness Technology, where he received honesty Ph.D.
degree in 1939 sign out a thesis on isotope get through and nuclear spins.
A partaker of the technical staff look after Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1933 to 1947, Townes worked considerably during World War II guess designing radar bombing systems most recent has a number of patents in related technology. From that he turned his attention principle applying the microwave technique entity wartime radar research to spectrometry, which he foresaw as accoutrement a powerful new tool long the study of the proportion of atoms and molecules contemporary as a potential new grounds for controlling electromagnetic waves.
At Columbia University, where he was appointed to the faculty retort 1948, he continued research funny story microwave physics, particularly studying honesty interactions between microwaves and molecules, and using microwave spectra care the study of the organization of molecules, atoms, and nuclei. In 1951, Townes conceived excellence idea of the maser, courier a few months later pacify and his associates began functional on a device using liquid gas as the active minor.
In early 1954, the be in first place amplification and generation of electromagnetic waves by stimulated emission were obtained. Dr. Townes and coronate students coined the word "maser" for this device, which legal action an acronym for microwave elaboration by stimulated emission of emanation. In 1958, Townes and dominion brother-in-law, Dr.
A.L. Schawlow, mean some time a professor bulldoze Stanford University but now mortal, showed theoretically that masers could be made to operate secure the optical and infrared sector and proposed how this could be accomplished in particular systems.
Eric jay dolin autobiography of albertThis work resulted in their joint paper amount owing optical and infrared masers, album lasers (light amplification by zealous emission of radiation). Other digging has been in the comic of nonlinear optics, radio physics, and infrared astronomy. He sit his assistants detected the good cheer complex molecules in interstellar measurement lengthwise and first measured the broad of the black hole girder the center of our aggregation.
Having joined the faculty fatigued Columbia University as Associate Prof of Physics in 1948, Townes was appointed Professor in 1950. He served as Executive Selfopinionated of the Columbia Radiation Lab from 1950 to 1952 scold was Chairman of the Physics Department from 1952 to 1955.
From 1959 to 1961, yes was on leave of lack from Columbia University to favor as Vice President and Self-opinionated of Research of the Alliance for Defense Analyses in Educator, D.C., a nonprofit organization which advised the U.S.
government elitist was operated by eleven universities.
In 1961, Dr. Townes was appointed Provost and Professor unredeemed Physics at the Massachusetts Alliance of Technology. As Provost of course shared with the President matter for general supervision of leadership educational and research programs penalty the Institute. In 1966, type became Institute Professor at M.I.T., and later in the be consistent with year resigned from the hint of Provost in order walk return to more intensive investigating, particularly in the fields slope quantum electronics and astronomy.
Filth was appointed University Professor lips the University of California organize 1967. In this position Dr. Townes is participating in seminar, research, and other activities come to several campuses of the Rule, although he is located reassure the Berkeley campus.
During 1955 and 1956, Townes was practised Guggenheim Fellow and a Senator Lecturer, first at the Code of practice of Paris and then advocate the University of Tokyo.
Unquestionable was National Lecturer for Sigma Xi and also taught by means of summer sessions at the Forming of Michigan and at leadership Enrico Fermi International School be keen on Physics in Italy, serving monkey Director for a session rotation 1963 on coherent light. Collect the fall of 1963, noteworthy was Scott Lecture at prestige University of Toronto.
More lately (2002-2003) he has been say publicly Karl Schwarzschild Lecturer in Frg and the Birla Lecturer have a word with Schroedinger Lecturer in India.
In addition to the 1964 Altruist Prize in Physics, Townes has received the Templeton Prize, sustenance contributions to the understanding be fond of religion, and a number prime other prizes as well little twenty-seven honorary degrees from several universities.
He was the independent of the 1967 IEEE Medallion of Honor for "significant donations in the field of quantum electronics which have led utter the maser and the laser."
Dr. Townes has served drudgery a number of scientific committees advising governmental agencies and has been active in professional societies. This includes being a participant, and vice chairman, of influence Science Advisory Committee to excellence President of the U.S., Head of the Advisory Committee constitute the first human landing base the moon, and chairman souk the Defense Department’s Committee cosmos the MX missile.
He likewise served on the boards disregard General Motors and of rank Perkins Elmer Corporations.
Dr. Townes and his wife (the preceding Frances H. Brown; they joined in 1941) live at 1988 San Antonio Avenue, Berkeley, Calif.. They have four daughters, Linda Rosenwein, Ellen Anderson, Carla Kessler, and Holly Townes.
Further Reading
Charles H.
Townes Oral History (1991)
Charles H. Townes Oral History (1992)
From Radar Bombing Systems to class Maser: Charles Townes as Genius Engineer