Charles H. Townes of coherent radiation, for which he invented the acronym "maser" (for Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). When the same principle was applied to higher frequencies, the term "laser" was used (the word "light" substituting for the word "microwave"). During 1953, Townes, James P. Gordon, and H. J. Zeiger built the first ammonia maser at Columbia University. This device used stimulated emission in a stream of energized ammonia molecules to produce amplification of microwaves at a frequency of about 24.0 gigahertz. From 1959 to 1961, he was on leave of absence from Columbia University to serve as Vice President
Stimulated emission to the number of atoms in the lower state, "N". Einstein showed that the coefficient for this transition must be identical to that for stimulated emission: Thus absorption and stimulated emission are reverse processes proceeding at somewhat different rates. Another way of viewing this is to look at the "net" stimulated emission or absorption viewing it as a single process. The net rate of transitions from "E" to "E" due to this combined process can be found by adding their respective rates, given above: Thus a net power is released into the electric field equal to the photon energy "hν"