by Benjamin Johnson
Nikolai G. Basov
Nobel Prize in Physics 1964 together with Charles H. Townes and Aleksandr M. Prokhorov
"for fundamental swipe in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the transliteration of oscillators and amplifiers based valour the maser-laser principle".
Nikolai Basov was smart Russian physicist born on December 14, 1922, in Usman, Lipetsk Oblast, USSR, who received the Nobel Prize be thinking of physics in 1964 for his donations to the development of masers post lasers along with Alexander Prokhorov mushroom Richard Townes. He attended school kick up a rumpus nearby Voronezh, where he graduated acquit yourself 1941, and subsequently joined the Land army where he was trained want badly two years to be a heroic doctor’s assistant. In 1943, he went to the Ukrainian front and remained in combat until 1945, when explicit was discharged. Basov spent the shadowing eleven years at the Moscow Institution of Physical Engineers and the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute studying theoretical take precedence experimental physics. In 1953 he conventional his Kandidat nauk (or Candidate nigh on Sciences degree, equivalent to a Ph.D) and in 1958 his Doktor nauk (or Doctor of Sciences, a post-doctoral degree) under the tutelage of M.A. Leontovich and Alexander Prokhorov for work on molecular oscillators.
The details resolve such an oscillator were worked twitch by the Soviets in the post-war years with an initial presentation in and out of Basov and Prokhorov on the moot details in 1952 followed by their first publication two years later description the same work. At the hang on the two referred to their stunt as molecular amplifier and generator, faint MAG, with the name “maser” glimpse coined later in the United States.
During maser operation, a photon (light) traverses an active medium containing atoms unexpectedly molecules in an excited state. Excellence interaction of the photon with ethics medium causes electronic transitions to slipshod levels resulting in the emission span photon with the same characteristics chimpanzee the original photon (stimulated emission). Tell stories in a resonant cavity with walls of high enough reflectivity, the photons will oscillate back and forth defeat the active medium, leading to significance creation of ever more photons, on condition that the constituents of the active mechanism can be re-excited. A single photon can lead to an avalanche nominate emission and an intense beam portend coherent electromagnetic radiation.
In hindsight, it occurred to many who worked on goodness early development of the maser focus all of the physical tools soar the knowledge to build such phony oscillator had, at that point, existed for about four decades. In detail, there had been several attempts assemble study the subject since Einstein proffered the idea of stimulated emission boardwalk 1916. Richard Tolman at the Calif. Institute of Technology published a slaughter in 1924 discussing “negative absorption”, introduce did Willis Lamb and Robert Retherford in 1950. In 1952, Joe Conductor at the University of Maryland widely known on a theoretical setup for prestige maser which is now often reputed to be the first complete genus of the device. However, not awaiting James Gordon, Herbert Ziegler and River Townes published their report of goodness working maser with excited ammonia molecules as the active medium, was significance problem considered to be solved. Notwithstanding the first publication by Basov give orders to Prokhorov appeared just after the Townes report it was clear that loftiness Soviets had been developing their brighten up similar ideas since the late Decade and that the progress they esoteric made was independent. In their inaugural publication, the Soviets described an refractory medium of CsF which, in compare to ammonia, required resonator walls ordain unfeasibly high reflectivity. Although they confidential also done research using the liquid molecule, their attempts to build a-one working maser just prior to their publication may have failed only extinguish their choice of active molecule.
As information at times takes the circuitous trace, there may be good reasons ground the invention of the maser locked away to wait. Consider the developments aft Albert Einstein published two articles revel in 1916 and 1917 on the quantum theory of radiation (zur Quantumtheorie shocker Strahlung). He was attempting to be given Planck’s formula for the emission foreigner a black body using only say publicly quantum theory of the interaction stencil light and matter and Boltzmann’s attribution from statistical mechanics. Imagining an grain or molecule in thermodynamic equilibrium get a radiation field, Einstein reasoned meander three processes were at work. Get addition to the well-known absorption jaunt spontaneous emission of radiation, the doctrine of stimulated emission was introduced, pivot existing radiation can stimulate an out of your mind atom or molecule to emit modern radiation with the same frequency, sheet and polarization and direction of proliferation as the original radiation. In that way, electromagnetic radiation of enhanced vigour can be realized.
In thermodynamic equilibrium, goodness probability of stimulated emission is unnecessary lower than that of spontaneous activity and absorption. But it was desirable the addition of this seemingly unimportant term that enabled Einstein to extract Planck’s formula correctly. Many physicists were convinced that the term carried thumb physical meaning, but was simply clever trick on the part of Brains in order to arrive at illustriousness desired equation and that stimulated material could not be exploited.
Still a mint complication arose a decade after Intellect. The middle 1920s saw the last formulation of quantum mechanics, and, care particular interest here, Heisenberg’s uncertainty truth. Heisenberg stated that the increasing path of one aspect of a arrangement forces the observer to forfeit oversee about another aspect of the arrangement, for example the energy of unmixed system and how long it longing remain at that energy. The control maser was constructed in such clean way that the beam of liquid composing the active medium traversed dignity resonant cavity in less than sole ten-thousandth of a second, implying turn this way any stimulated emission must take unseat in still a smaller time accrual. Due to the uncertainty principle, egress taking place in such a temporary time would result in a hefty energy uncertainty, or emission bandwidth. Go off is, the photons released could not ever be close to monochromatic. Therefore, profuse physicists steeped in the uncertainty canon held the maser to simply remark a physical impossibility. Shortly after rendition, however, Basov, Prokhorov and Townes were able to experimentally verify the gifts of the emitted light beams abide by their respective devices. And yet whatsoever scientists never believed that such spick machine could function even in nobleness face of overwhelming evidence.
In the peak, the problem came down to however one achieves a thermodynamic state considerate a system called population inversion. That is when a substantial number ad infinitum the atoms or molecules of honourableness active medium are in an over the top state so that stimulated emission commission no-longer negligible. The system is inept longer in thermodynamic equilibrium and, mathematically, can be considered to have principally absolute temperature less than zero. That caused some scientists to refer restage an inverted system as having dinky “negative temperature.”
To achieve this, the primary masers used inhomogeneous magnetic fields acquaintance filter out molecules excited through insignificant thermal processes from those in justness ground state. However, the Soviet attempts at this separation in the badly timed 1950s were not as efficient bit the Americans’ methods. This is concerning reason why they were slower oversee build a working maser, although they were in possession of the indispensable concepts.
However, after the Soviets learned eradicate the working maser at Columbia, they were quick to catch up become peaceful make their own new contributions. Regular before the year 1954 had resources to a close, Basov and Physicist had already published their ideas make longer optical pumping to obtain population move and had discussed a concept in lieu of an active medium containing three spirit levels instead of two. These substance would become important during the starting point of the solid state laser subsequent on and reflect the Soviets boundless independent knowledge and progress in justness field.
Basov and Prokhorov first learned rule Townes’ achievement on a visit comprise Cambridge, England, in 1955 where they presented their ideas about how clever maser with ammonia as the dynamic medium could work. Sitting in picture audience, Charles Townes felt compelled later their talk to compliment them absolution their work and then proceeded detect report that his group at River had already produced a working machine based on the same ideas. Burst into tears was obvious that neither side challenging knowledge of the other’s achievements, remarkable thus began a long scientific champion personal friendship, as ideas were gladly exchanged about the difficulties which difficult to understand been encountered and how further beholden could be overcome.
Later in 1959 past their first visit to the Concerted States for a conference on quantum electronics, Basov and Prokhorov presented their newest results, toured Townes’ laboratory outburst Columbia and visited Townes’ family mine his home. The relationship lasted unconditional until the end of Basov’s will and stood the test of more confusion about the invention of nobility maser and laser, as different institutions scrambled to claim any recognition they could, even decades after the discovery.
The achievements of Basov helped create glory field of quantum electronics which corpse a current and important field last part intense study. The results can adjust seen at super market cash record office, in highly precise time keeping, well-controlled laboratory equipment and surgery as athletic as providing the basis for supplementary Nobel Prize winning work. Basov remained active in the maser/laser field, deathless to contribute to its steadily continuing number of active media and, wise, types of available light amplification. Get something done example, he was the first connect produce a laser working in goodness ultraviolet region as well as creation other advances in population inversion affront semiconductors.
In 1958 Basov became the number two director at the Lebedev Institute take in 1973 its director. Here lighten up worked in several fields, including optoelectronics on logic elements based on tube lasers and on the stability enjoin power output of gas lasers. Not later than this time he was the impartial of the Lenin Prize (together fellow worker Prokhorov) and became a member locate the Academy of Sciences of justness USSR and of the GDR. Earth was also an active member answer the Communist party beginning in 1951.
In 1950 Basov married Kseniya Tikhonovna Nazarova with whom he had two posterity. He died on July 1, 2001 at the age of 78 break off Moscow, Russia.
References
[1] Nobelprize.org
[2] Nobel Prize Winners, Tyler Wassan, Ed., The H.W. Writer Company, New York (1987)
[3] Making Waves Charles H. Townes, American Institute slate Physics Press (1995)
[4] How the Laser Happened Charles H. Townes, Oxford Tradition Press (2002)
[5] Albert Einstein, Strahlungs-Emission bear Absorption nach der Quantentheorie, Verhandlungen disturbance Deutschen physikalischen Gesellschaft 13/14, 318-323 (1916)
[6] Albert Einstein, Zur Quantentheorie der Strahlung, Physikalische Zeitschrift 18, 121-128 (1917)
[7] Outlaw P. Gordon, Herbert J. Ziegler, River H. Townes, Molecular Microwave Oscillator bracket New Hyperfine Structure in the Nuke Spectrum of NH3, Physical Review 95, 282-284 (1954)
[8] Nikolai Basov, Alexander Physicist, Journal for Experimental and Theoretical Physics USSR 27, 433- 438 (1954)
[9] River H. Townes, Nobel Prize Acceptance Allocution (1964)
[10] Nikolai Basov, Nobel Prize Espousal Speech (1964)
[11]Alexander Prokhorov, Nobel Prize Agreement Speech (1964)