Kerry Vahala, Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics, has been awarded 2025 Charles Hard Townes Medal for his pioneering contributions to the development and application of optical microresonators and nonlinear optical oscillators. This medal, awarded by Optica, was established in 1980 to honor Charles Hard Townes, whose pioneering contributions to masers and lasers led to the development of the field of quantum electronics. It is given to an individual or a group for outstanding experimental or theoretical work, discovery, or invention in the field of quantum electronics. Over the past decade, Vahala has pioneered the development and application of high-Q optical microresonators, making seminal contributions to the demonstration of on-chip nonlinear optical oscillators and high-coherence sources. His work has driven advances in integrated systems for frequency metrology and precision measurement.
Professor Kerry Vahala Awarded 2025 Charles Hard Townes Medal
February 13, 2025