Arthur Schawlow. Portrait of Arthur Schawlow (born 1921), American physicist, with an early laser. Schawlow and Charles Townes worked jointly on the operational principles of Microwave Ampli- fication by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (maser). They then extended the principle to light and Maiman used their theoretical principles to construct the first operational laser in 1960. Schawlow did not share Townes' 1964 Nobel prize for the laser's invention, but was awarded the 1981 Nobel physics prize for his research in laser spectroscopy. This research led to a more accurate estimate of the Rydberg constant which is used in determining atomic electron energy levels. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
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