Charles Hard Townes

Valeria A. Acosta Arroyo

During my research for this essay I came with the awesome story of  Charles Hard Townes. This came to my interest as I was researching for topics on our physics class. Charles Hard Townes is a nobel price winner in the physics theme. Our story begins with physicist and an educator of this science. Townes is known for his work in quantum electronics, maser and laser devices. What most amazes me is the fact that he shared his nobel prize with two other physicist: Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov. 

Charles Hard Townes was practically sponsored and all his studies were funded by the U.S Navy. Even though we dont know much of Charles Hard Townes, he was very important in the technology we have today. He developed serious inventions that helped create what is now called the microwave. Charles Hard Townes didnt participate directly with the US Army or the Navy but he collaborated much in the development of a new radar systm for aircrafts in the World War II. With this in mind he felt he was helping the nation. After the war, Townes continued to work at Bell Labs, creating new radar by experimenting with different radio wavelengths topics which we discuss in our current Physics curriculum. Townes received lots of money directed for his experiments one of the most famous experiments he worked on was the development of the maser for which he got many recognitions because of the theory and application of the maser. Many physicists of his era believed that the work and studies he was doing were impossible but he proved them wrong and by this I personally believe he truly deserved the Nobel Prize. 

Charles is the only figure other than Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama to win both Templeton Prize and Nobel Prize.  After many research on this extraordinary man I can see the Townes has been widely recognized for his scientific work and leadership. He has even received prizes and recognitions all along the course of his life and even as recent as last year, 2012, which he was awarded the Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal. After knowing all these extraordinary things only one physicist has made during his life and all the changes he has made to the world we know today I have some serious respect for Charles Hard Townes , and I believe he truly deserves a space in our Physics class just because of all the hard work and advances he has made to the Physics. Today we know Physics as we know it thanks to people like him, Charles  Hard Townes is of the same respect as Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are to the Physics, but this is only my humble opinion.