Dr. Theodor W. Hänsch, Director at the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching, and the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Professor at the Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany and Nobel Laureate will present the fall 2011 Ta-You Wu Lecture in Physics, "Laser Spectroscopy of Hydrogen."

This year, the Ta-You Wu lecture is held in conjunction with a special symposium marking the first observation of optical harmonics in 1961 by Peter Franken and his coworkers in the Randall Laboratory at the University of Michigan. This event launched a golden age in optical physics that has led to applications in fields ranging from optical communications and biological imaging to X-ray generation and homeland security.