Arthur Leonard Schawlow
His elegant design for the laser's cavity turned a theoretical idea into a revolutionary tool that reshaped modern science and industry.
1921–1999 (age 78)·American physicist·Birthday: May 5·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Arthur Schawlow was a physicist with a gift for seeing the elegant solution. While the maser—a microwave amplifier—had been invented, it was Schawlow, collaborating with Charles Townes, who cracked the code to move the technology into the realm of light. His pivotal contribution was the conceptual leap to use an optical cavity, a space between two mirrors, to bounce and amplify light waves, creating the coherent, intense beam we know as the laser. For this foundational work, he shared the Nobel Prize. But Schawlow wasn't just a theorist; he passionately pursued laser spectroscopy, using the new tool as a scalpel to probe the inner workings of atoms with unprecedented precision. A dedicated teacher with a famously gentle demeanor, he helped shepherd the laser from a laboratory curiosity to the backbone of technologies from barcode scanners to fiber-optic communications.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Arthur was born in 1921, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1921
#1 Movie
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1921Born
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1926Started school
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1934Became a teenager
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1937Could drive
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1939Could vote
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Turned 21
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1951Turned 30
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 40
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 50
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 60
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 70
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1999Died at 78
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Co-authored the seminal 1958 paper with Charles Townes outlining the principles of the optical laser.
- Awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to laser spectroscopy.
- His laser spectroscopy methods allowed for the measurement of atomic energy levels with extreme accuracy.
- Served as president of the American Physical Society and was a longtime professor at Stanford University.
Did You Know?
He was married to the sister of his collaborator, Charles Townes, making the two brothers-in-law.
Schawlow had a strong interest in working with children with developmental disabilities.
He shared the Nobel Prize with Nicolaas Bloembergen, who advanced laser physics, and Kai Siegbahn, for different work.
The Schawlow-Townes limit, describing the fundamental linewidth of a laser, is named for their work.
“The laser is a solution seeking a problem.”
