Charles Hard Townes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Hard Townes
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Townes in 2007
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| Born | July 28, 1915 |
| Died | January 27, 2015 (aged 99) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Furman University (B.S. & B.A.) Duke University (M.A.) Caltech (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Inventing the Maser |
| Awards | Comstock Prize in Physics (1958) Young Medal and Prize (1963) Nobel Prize in Physics (1964) IEEE Medal of Honor (1967) National Medal of Science (1982) Lomonosov Gold Medal (2000) Vannevar Bush Award (2006) SPIE Gold Medal (2010) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Berkeley Bell Labs Institute for Defense Analyses Columbia MIT University Of Michigan |
| Doctoral advisor | William Smythe |
| Doctoral students | Ali Javan James P. Gordon Robert Boyd Raymond Y. Chiao |
Charles Hard Townes (born July 28, 1915 – died January 27, 2015) was an American Nobel Prize-winning physicist and educator. He is famous for his important work on the Maser. He also helped develop the Laser.
Townes shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964. He won it with two other scientists, Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov. In 1982, he received the National Medal of Science. This award was given to him by President Ronald Reagan.
Charles Townes was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He passed away in Oakland, California, when he was 99 years old.
Inventing the Maser and Laser
Charles Townes is best known for inventing the Maser. A maser is a device that produces a beam of microwave radiation. It works by making atoms or molecules give off energy in a very controlled way. This energy is then amplified.
His work on the maser was very important. It led to the development of the Laser. A laser is similar to a maser but produces a beam of light instead of microwaves. Lasers are used in many things today. They are in DVD players, barcode scanners, and even medical surgeries.
Townes's discoveries helped create a new field of science. This field is called quantum electronics. It studies how light and matter interact at a very small, atomic level.
Awards and Recognition
Charles Townes received many awards for his scientific work. His most famous award was the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964. This prize recognized his fundamental work on the maser.
He also received the National Medal of Science in 1982. This is one of the highest honors for scientists in the United States. Other awards include the IEEE Medal of Honor and the Lomonosov Gold Medal. These awards show how much his work impacted the world.
Images for kids
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Daughters of Townes in Sweden in 1964
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Townes (right) receiving the 1964 Nobel Prize
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Townes (right) receiving the 2006 Vannevar Bush Award
See also
In Spanish: Charles Hard Townes para niños
