Amazing Light

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxviii

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2. Introduction: Charles Townes as I Have Known Him

   • Arthur L. Schawlow

   Pages 1-6

3. Methane Optical Frequency Standard

   • Nicolai G. Basov, Vladimir A. Alekseev, Mikhail A. Gubin

   Pages 7-20

4. Mid-infrared Lines as Astrophysical Diagnostics: Two Decades of Problems and Promise

   • Sara C. Beck

   Pages 21-26

5. The Laser Stabilitron

   • William R. Bennett Jr., Vieniamin P. Chebotayev

   Pages 27-39

6. Self-Regulated Star Formation in Molecular Clouds

   • Frank Bertoldi, Christopher F. McKee

   Pages 41-54

7. Long-baseline Interferometric Imaging at 11 Microns with 30 Milliarcsecond Resolution

   • Manfred Bester, William C. Danchi

   Pages 55-72

8. Ammonia in the Giant Planets

   • Albert L. Betz

   Pages 73-78

9. Collision Broadening and Radio-frequency Spectroscopy

   • Brebis Bleaney

   Pages 79-86

10. Meeting Charles H. Townes

    • Nicholas Bloembergen

    Pages 87-89

11. Population Inversion and Superluminality

    • Raymond Y. Chiao

    Pages 91-108

12. The Autler-Townes Effect Revisited

    • Claude N. Cohen-Tannoudji

    Pages 109-123

13. Parity Nonconservation in Atoms and Searches for Permanent Electric Dipole Moments

    • Eugene D. Commins

    Pages 125-141

14. Stark Dynamics and Saturation in Resonant Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy

    • David A. Coppeta, Paul L. Kelley, Patrick J. Harshman, T. Kenneth Gustafson, Jean-Pierre E. Taran

    Pages 143-151

15. A Raman Study of Fluorinated Ethanes Adsorbed on Zeolite NaX

    • Michael K. Crawford, David R. Corbin, Robert J. Smalley

    Pages 153-161

16. Laser Light-scattering Spectroscopy of Supercooled Liquids and the Glass Transition

    • Herman Z. Cummins

    Pages 163-171

17. The Electronic Emission Spectra of Triatomic Hydrogen: The 6025Å Bands of H2D and HD2

    • Izabel Dabrowski, Gerhard Herzberg

    Pages 173-190

18. Limitations for Frequency-based Absolute Length Measurements

    • Michael Danos

    Pages 191-196

19. Microcavity Quantum Electrodynamics

    • Francesco De Martini, Marco Giangrasso

    Pages 197-214

20. Testimonial for Celebration of Professor Charles Townes’ 80th Birthday

    • Sidney D. Drell

    Pages 215-216

This Festschrift is a collection of essays contributed by students, colleagues, and ad­ mirers to honor an eminent scholar on a special anniversary: Charles Hard Townes on the occasion of his 80th birthday, July 28, 1995. In 1964, Townes shared the Nobel Prize in physics with Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov and Nikolai Gen­ nadyevich Basov "for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle. " His contributions have covered a much wider area, however. His fruitful interests spanning several decades have included many scientific subjects, includ­ ing, microwave spectroscopy and astrophysics (other articles in this volume will expand further on this point). He has also contributed to public service, having served as the chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Committee for NASA's Apollo program, and as a member and vice chairman of the President's Science Advisory Committee. As the enormous breadth of contributions from his students shows, he has educated scholars who are now in a wide range of fields. The contributions from his many admirers, among whom are nine fellow Nobel laureates, attest to his impact on many disciplines ranging from electrical engi­ neering to medicine. His influence extends even to theology, as is indicated by one essay. The broadly international character of this Festschrift reflects his deep belief in the international, universal nature of science.

• Absorption
• Maser
• Raman spectroscopy
• Transmission
• astrophysics
• chaos
• electronics
• interferometer
• laser
• nonlinear optics
• optics
• quantum optics
• quantum physics
• semiconductor
• spectroscopy

• Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, USA

  Raymond Y. Chiao

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