Autler-Townes effect

noun

A dynamical Stark effect corresponding to the case when an oscillating electric field (e.g., that of a laser) is tuned in resonance (or close) to the transition frequency of a given spectral line, and resulting in a change of the shape of the absorption/emission spectra of that spectral line.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounAutler-Townes effect (plural Autler-Townes effects)

plural Autler-Townes effects

  1. natural sciencesA dynamical Stark effect corresponding to the case when an oscillating electric field (e.g., that of a laser) is tuned in resonance (or close) to the transition frequency of a given spectral line, and resulting in a change of the shape of the absorption/emission spectra of that spectral line.

Origin

Named after American physicists Stanley Autler and Charles H. Townes who discovered the effect in 1955.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Autler-Townes effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Autler-Townes%20effect

MLA

“Autler-Townes effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Autler-Townes%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Autler-Townes effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Autler-Townes%20effect.

Source: Autler-Townes effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.