Charles H. Townes receiving his Nobel Prize from King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden at Konserthuset Stockholm on 10 December 1964.

Photo: Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Charles H. Townes receiving his Nobel Prize from King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden at the Stockholm Concert Hall, 10 December 1964.

Courtesy MIT Museum

The three 1964 physics laureates looking at their Nobel Prize diplomas: Charles H. Townes, Aleksandr M. Prokhorov and Nicolay G. Basov.

Courtesy MIT Museum

1964 Nobel Prize laureates showing their diplomas after the award ceremony, 10 December 2023. From left: Charles H. Townes, Nicolay G. Basovz, Aleksandr M. Prokhorov, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Konrad Bloch and Feodor Lynen.

Photo: Courtesy MIT Museum

Charles H. Townes and Sweden's Princess Sibylla at the Nobel Prize banquet in the Stockholm City Hall, 10 December 1964.

Courtesy MIT Museum

Charles H. Townes (left) and James P. Gordon shown with the second of two microwave amplifiers, or masers, that they built in 1955 with H. J. Zeiger (not shown).

Courtesy: The American Physical Society Kindly provided by UC Berkeley

Portrait of Charles H. Townes. Photo taken in 2013.

Photo: Elena Zhukova/UC Berkeley Kindly provided by UC Berkeley

Charles Townes and his wife Frances (seated), with daughter Ellen Townes-Anderson (standing) at Townes's 99th birthday party at University of California Berkeley.

Photo: Cailey Cotner Kindly provided by UC Berkeley