Nikolay Basov analyzed coherent molecular amplification with Alexander Prokhorov. Their 1956 maser theory relates the generated frequency to both the molecular transition and the cavity response, showing why a molecular oscillator can serve as a precise frequency reference. Below the condition for self-sustained oscillation, the same system can amplify an external microwave input. Distinguishing an amplifier from an oscillator therefore depends on feedback and loss as well as molecular excitation.[ref]
Theory of the Molecular Generator and Molecular Power Amplifier by Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov and Aleksandr Mikhailovich Prokhorov. 1956, sections 2–3: frequency, self-excitation and molecular microwave amplification
Portrait of Nikolay Basov
. Nobel foundation, 1964. Public domain in Sweden (PD-Sweden photograph). Source usage terms, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. Articles by others on the same topic
Nikolay Basov (1922-2001) was a prominent Soviet physicist known for his significant contributions to the fields of quantum electronics and laser technology. He, along with Alexander Prokhorov, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for their work on the theory and application of masers and lasers, which are devices that amplify electromagnetic waves.