Michael Thewalt

Dr. Thewalt achieved wide acclaim when his PhD research settled a raging international controversy over the existence and properties of bound multiexciton complexes. His unique spectroscopic methods have yielded deep insights into the nature of excitons and biexcitons, as fundamental to the understanding of semiconductor physics as the hydrogen atom H and molecule H2 are to atomic physics. The existence of polyexcitons, analogous to H3, H4, etc., was conjectured in 1972. Dr. Thewalt provided confirmation in 1987 using his newly developed, ultrasensitive experimental techniques. His remarkable successes in applying these techniques to problems of industrial relevance also are well recognized.