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Theodor W. Hänsch
<html> <head> <title>Theodor W. Hänsch</title> <meta name="googlebot" content="noodp"> <meta name="robots" content="noodp"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="/silly-nndb-icon.png" /><style type="text/css"> <!-- .fotmbar { color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: none} .fotmbar:hover { color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: underline} .newslink { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .newslink:hover { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .proflink { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .proflink:hover { color: blue; text-decoration: underline} .b1f, .b2f, .b3f, .b4f {font-size:1px; overflow:hidden; display:block;} .b1f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 5px;} .b2f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 3px;} .b3f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 2px;} .b4f {height:2px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 1px;} .contentf {background: #e6e6e6; padding: 2px; } .contentf div {margin-left: 5px;} --> </style></head> <body bgcolor=#ffffff> <center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td valign=top><table width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td bgcolor=white><table width="100%" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" background="/nndb.gif"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top"><a href="http://www.nndb.com/"><img src="/title.gif" width="260" height="50" border=0 alt="NNDB"></a></td> <td><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6"> <tr align="center"> <td width="25%" nowrap><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is a beta version of NNDB</font></b></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" valign="middle"><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <form action="http://search.nndb.com/search/nndb.cgi" method="get"> <input type="hidden" name="nndb" value="1"></input> <nobr>Search: <select name="omenu"> <option value="unspecified" selected>All Names</option> <option value="living">Living people</option> <option value="dead">Dead people</option> <option value="bands">Band Names</option> <option value="books">Book Titles</option> <option value="movies">Movie Titles</option> <option value="fulltext">Full Text</option> </select> for <input name="query" value="" size=24 maxlength=96> <input type=submit value="Search"> </font></b></nobr></form></td> </tr> </table> <!-- COPYRIGHT (C) 2008 SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS --> <!-- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED --> <!-- NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION --> <!-- OF SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS (ON THE WEB, IN PRINT, OR OTHERWISE) --> <!-- --> <!-- SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS --> <!-- PO BOX 4436, MOUNTAIN VIEW CA 94040 USA --> </td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=red height=2></td></tr><map name=fool><area coords="102,0,240,14" href="/people/795/000138381/bibliography/" alt="bibliography"></map><tr bgcolor=F0F0F0><td bgcolor=F0F0F0 style="padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px;"><img src="/red-profile-2.gif" align="right" height=15 width=240 border=0 usemap=#fool><br clear="all"><table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=100%><tr><td bgcolor=F0F0F0><font size=+3 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Theodor W. Hänsch</b></font><p><b>AKA</b> Theodor Wolfgang Hänsch<p><b>Born:</b> <a href="/lists/821/000106503/" class=proflink>30-Oct</a>-<a href="/lists/940/000105625/" class=proflink>1941</a><br><b>Birthplace:</b> <a href="/geo/698/000082452/" class=proflink>Heidelberg, Germany</a><br><p><b>Gender:</b> Male<br><b>Race or Ethnicity:</b> White<br><b>Occupation:</b> <a href="/lists/629/000096341/" class=proflink>Physicist</a><p><b>Nationality:</b> Germany<br><b>Executive summary:</b> Quantum optics<p>Theodor W. H鋘sch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005, for "contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique". His research involves ultra-precise laser spectroscopy and quantum physics of ultra-cold atoms, and his honors were shared with fellow physicists <a href="/people/738/000138324/">Roy J. Glauber</a> and <a href="/people/771/000138357/">John L. Hall</a>.<p> H鋘sch grew up on a Heidelberg street named for <a href="/people/900/000095615/">Robert Wilhelm Bunsen</a>, and his interest in science was sparked after he asked his father about the man and the street. His father brought home a Bunsen burner, demonstrated some rudimentary chemistry in their kitchen, and young H鋘sch said later, "I started to see myself as a future scientist". As a teenager he constructed a transistorized Geiger counter. During his tenure at Stanford, was involved with the Hombrew Computer Club, bought software on punched paper tape from <a href="/people/435/000022369/">Bill Gates</a>, and taught <a href="/people/520/000023451/">Steve Jobs</a> in undergraduate classes on electricity and magnetism. Upon winning the Nobel Prize, H鋘sch said, "For me, the field of light, of lasers, of atoms, molecules, has been an unending series of surprises, and I can't think of a better field".<p> <p><b>Father:</b> Karl Hänsch (businessman)<br><b>Mother:</b> Marta Hänsch<br><b>Brother:</b> Julius Hänsch (works in publishing)<br><b>Sister:</b> Lucia Hänsch (owns electronics shop)<br><p> High School: Helmholtz Gymnasium, Heidelberg, Germany (1961)<br> University: <a href="/edu/633/000071420/">BS Physics, University of Heidelberg (1964)</a><br> University: <a href="/edu/633/000071420/">MS Physics, University of Heidelberg (1966)</a><br> University: <a href="/edu/633/000071420/">PhD Physics, University of Heidelberg (1969)</a><br> Scholar: <a href="/edu/633/000071420/">Physics, University of Heidelberg (1969-70)</a><br> Scholar: <a href="/edu/468/000068264/">Physics, Stanford University (1970-72)</a><br> Teacher: <a href="/edu/468/000068264/">Physics, Stanford University (1972-75)</a><br> Professor: <a href="/edu/468/000068264/">Physics, Stanford University (1975-86)</a><br> Professor: <a href="/edu/705/000068501/">Experimental Physics, University of Munich (1986-)</a><br> Administrator: Director, Max-Planck-Institut for Quantum Optics (1986-)<br><p> <a href="/honors/166/000115818/">Albert Einstein Medal</a> 1995<br> <a href="/honors/815/000099518/">Matteucci Medal</a> 2002<br> <a href="/honors/201/000067997/">Nobel Prize for Physics</a> 2005 (with <a href="/people/738/000138324/">Roy J. Glauber</a> and <a href="/people/771/000138357/">John L. Hall</a>)<br> <a href="/org/811/000055646/">American Academy of Arts and Sciences</a> <br> <a href="/org/496/000071283/">American Physical Society</a> <br> <a href="/org/943/000117592/">Franklin Institute</a> <br> <a href="/org/116/000116765/">Optical Society of America</a> <br> <a href="/org/457/000041334/">Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society</a> <br> <a href="/lists/905/000108581/">Bavarian Ancestry</a> <br> <a href="/lists/937/000043808/">Polish Ancestry</a> <br> <p> <b>Official Website:</b><br><a href="http://www.mpq.mpg.de/~haensch/" target=_blank>http://www.mpq.mpg.de/~haensch/</a><p> <b>Author of books:</b><br> <i>Ultrasensitive Response of a CW Dye Laser to Selective Extinction</i> (<tt>1972</tt>, with <a href="/people/954/000099657/">Arthur L. Schawlow</a> and Peter E. Toschek)<br><i>Ultranarrowband Tunable Dye Laser for New Approaches to Atomic Spectroscopy</i> (<tt>1975</tt>)<br><i>Tunable Lasers and Coherent Light Techniques for High Resolution Ultraviolet Spectroscopy</i> (<tt>1977</tt>)<br><p> <br> <p> <table> <tr> <td align=right valign=middle style="padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; color: #ff3333;">New!</span><br> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/" class="fotmlink" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color: #dd0000;">NNDB MAPPER</a></td> <td valign=middle align=right style="border-left: 1px solid #bbb; padding-left: 5px;">Create a map starting with</td> <td valign=middle align=right><a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=138381"><img src="/man.gif" border=0 style="padding: 2px;"></a></td> <td align=left valign=middle> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=138381">Theodor W. 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