Nobel Prize in Physics Recipient. Dr. Schawlow, an American scientist, received the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research contribution in lasers. He shared the prize with Nicolaas Bloembergen, a Dutch-born America scientist and Kai Siegbahn, a Swedish scientist. He and Bloembergen shared one half of the monetary prize, while Siegbahn received half. Born in New York, his father was a Jewish immigrate from Latvia, and his mother was Canadian. When he was three years old, his family relocated to Canada. After being educated in Canadian schools, he received a science scholarship to study at the University of Toronto earning his Bachelor's degree, but World War II started before he could finish his Master's degree. He was required to register for both the Canadian and United States military draft, but was deferred from both as he was working in a factory that built radar equipment, which required crucial wartime technology; this kept him out of the war. After the war, he finished his Master's degree, and while a student, he had published seven papers on electric field distribution within nuclei. In 1949 he was hired by Dr. Charles Townes for a postdoctoral position in the physics department of Columbia University in New York City. While at Columbia University, he studied under Nobel Prize recipient for 1944, Isidor Rabi. He collaborated with Townes in his 1950s research and was the co-inventor with Townes of the laser. He found that he was at his best being part of a team effort. Schawlow's insight to the laser was the use of two mirror as the resonant cavity to take maser action from microwaves to visible wavelengths. For his contribution to the research with maser and laser, Townes was the co-recipient with two Russian scientists of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1951 with the marriage to Townes younger sister, Schawlow became Townes' brother-in-law. At this point in his career, he took a position with Bell Laboratories in New Jersey in 1951, where he found his research was slowed with required long-hours of work and outdated equipment, unlike working in the university research laboratories. In 1961 he became a professor at Stanford University, served as physics department chairman from 1966 to 1970, and remaining there becoming an emeritus professor upon retirement in 1996. He became a world authority on laser spectroscopy, and he and Bloembergen earned their share of the 1981 Nobel Prize by using lasers to study the interactions of electromagnetic radiation with matter. Although the first working laser was actually built in 1960 by American physicist Theodore Maiman, Schawlow and Townes published 1958 a paper, in which they had outlined in detail the working principles of the laser. For his contribution to the research, Maiman was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize but never was a recipient. Schawlow was one of six authors on a paper published in “Physical Review Letters” in October of 1960. His publications include “Infrared and Optical Masers” in 1958 and “Lasers and Their Uses” in 1983. Schawlow was asked to write an article on the laser for the 1987 “Encyclopedia Britannica.” Besides the Nobel Prize, he received the Stuart Ballantine Medal in 1962, the Marconi Prize in 1977 and the National Medal of Science in 1991. His only son, Arthur, was diagnosed with Autism, with him and his wife becoming very active in support groups and care facilities. The year before his retirement with his health in decline with rheumatoid arthritis, his wife was killed in an automobile accident. His work with the laser continues with the next generations as his student Steven Chu was the 1997 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He did not live to know that his German postdoctoral student, Ted Hansch, was the recipient of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics; both his and Chu's awards were for contributions to the advancement of his laser.

Nobel Prize in Physics Recipient. Dr. Schawlow, an American scientist, received the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research contribution in lasers. He shared the prize with Nicolaas Bloembergen, a Dutch-born America scientist and Kai Siegbahn, a Swedish scientist. He and Bloembergen shared one half of the monetary prize, while Siegbahn received half. Born in New York, his father was a Jewish immigrate from Latvia, and his mother was Canadian. When he was three years old, his family relocated to Canada. After being educated in Canadian schools, he received a science scholarship to study at the University of Toronto earning his Bachelor's degree, but World War II started before he could finish his Master's degree. He was required to register for both the Canadian and United States military draft, but was deferred from both as he was working in a factory that built radar equipment, which required crucial wartime technology; this kept him out of the war. After the war, he finished his Master's degree, and while a student, he had published seven papers on electric field distribution within nuclei. In 1949 he was hired by Dr. Charles Townes for a postdoctoral position in the physics department of Columbia University in New York City. While at Columbia University, he studied under Nobel Prize recipient for 1944, Isidor Rabi. He collaborated with Townes in his 1950s research and was the co-inventor with Townes of the laser. He found that he was at his best being part of a team effort. Schawlow's insight to the laser was the use of two mirror as the resonant cavity to take maser action from microwaves to visible wavelengths. For his contribution to the research with maser and laser, Townes was the co-recipient with two Russian scientists of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1951 with the marriage to Townes younger sister, Schawlow became Townes' brother-in-law. At this point in his career, he took a position with Bell Laboratories in New Jersey in 1951, where he found his research was slowed with required long-hours of work and outdated equipment, unlike working in the university research laboratories. In 1961 he became a professor at Stanford University, served as physics department chairman from 1966 to 1970, and remaining there becoming an emeritus professor upon retirement in 1996. He became a world authority on laser spectroscopy, and he and Bloembergen earned their share of the 1981 Nobel Prize by using lasers to study the interactions of electromagnetic radiation with matter. Although the first working laser was actually built in 1960 by American physicist Theodore Maiman, Schawlow and Townes published 1958 a paper, in which they had outlined in detail the working principles of the laser. For his contribution to the research, Maiman was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize but never was a recipient. Schawlow was one of six authors on a paper published in “Physical Review Letters” in October of 1960. His publications include “Infrared and Optical Masers” in 1958 and “Lasers and Their Uses” in 1983. Schawlow was asked to write an article on the laser for the 1987 “Encyclopedia Britannica.” Besides the Nobel Prize, he received the Stuart Ballantine Medal in 1962, the Marconi Prize in 1977 and the National Medal of Science in 1991. His only son, Arthur, was diagnosed with Autism, with him and his wife becoming very active in support groups and care facilities. The year before his retirement with his health in decline with rheumatoid arthritis, his wife was killed in an automobile accident. His work with the laser continues with the next generations as his student Steven Chu was the 1997 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He did not live to know that his German postdoctoral student, Ted Hansch, was the recipient of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics; both his and Chu's awards were for contributions to the advancement of his laser.

Bio by: Linda Davis