= Charles H. Townes
{c}
{tag=Physicist}
{wiki}
= Charles Hard Townes
{c}
{synonym}
= C. H. Townes
{c}
{synonym}
<Charles H. Townes>, <James Power Gordon> and <Herbert Jack Zeiger> developed the molecular <maser>, using <stimulated emission> to amplify or generate coherent microwaves. Their report treats the same device as an amplifier, oscillator and spectrometer. Preparing the molecular excitation and providing resonant feedback turns microscopic transitions between <energy levels> into a macroscopic signal. The measured frequency stability and narrow spectroscopic resolution showed why the <maser> could serve as both an instrument for studying <molecules> and a <frequency> reference.<The Maser—New Type of Microwave Amplifier, Frequency Standard, and Spectrometer by James Power Gordon and others>[1955 abstract and molecular-generator mechanism: oscillator stability, spectroscopy and amplification]{ref}
A <physicist>.https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1964/townes/biographical/[Independent professional profile]{ref}
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{title=Portrait of <Charles H. Townes>}
{description=Woodruff T. Sullivan III; NRAO/AUI Archives, Sullivan Collection; rights NRAO/AUI/NSF. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/[Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, with NRAO's displayed source-credit/non-endorsement and third-party-rights qualifications.], via Wikimedia Commons.}
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