Alfred Kastler developed methods for exciting atoms so that they would travel from one sub-level to another in very precise ways, emitting energy in the process. These techniques, called double resonance and optical pumping, later found application in a number of inventions, including the maser and the laser, which use the energy emitted by excited atoms. His research into methods of exciting and controlling this atomic process led Kastler to be awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize in physics.

Kastler was born in the Alsatian village of Guebwiller on May 3, 1902. The village was then a part of Germany, although it was to revert to French control at the end of World War I. His parents were Frederic and Anna (Frey) Kastler. He began his schooling in Guebwiller, but moved with his family to Colmar after World War I began. He studied at the Colmar Oberrealschule (high school), where he became...