Peter P. Sorokin is an American physicist and co-inventor of the dye laser

Dye laser

A dye laser is a laser which uses an organic dye as the lasing medium, usually as a liquid solution. Compared to gases and most solid state lasing media, a dye can usually be used for a much wider range of wavelengths. The wide bandwidth makes them particularly suitable for tunable lasers and...

. Sorokin and his colleague J. R. Lankard, at IBM Research Laboratories, used a ruby laser

Ruby laser

A ruby laser is a solid-state laser that uses a synthetic ruby crystal as its gain medium. The first working laser was a ruby laser made by Theodore H. "Ted" Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories on May 16, 1960....

 to excite a near infrared laser dye. Their report was quickly followed by that of F. P. Schäfer

F. P. Schäfer

F. P. Schäfer is a German physicist co-inventor of the dye laser. His book, Dye Lasers, is considered a classic in the field of tunable lasers.-References:...

. In 1974 Sorokin received the Albert A. Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute

Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...

. In 1983 Sorokin was awarded the Comstock Prize in Physics

Comstock Prize in Physics

The Comstock Prize in Physics is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for recent innovative discovery or investigation in electricity, magnetism, or radiant energy, broadly interpreted."...

 from the National Academy of Sciences

United States National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...

 and in 1984 the Harvey Prize

Harvey Prize

The Harvey Prize is awarded by the Technion in Haifa, Israel. It is awarded in different disciplines of Science, Technology, Human Health, and Contributions to Peace in the Middle East. Two awards - each of $75,000 - are given away annually...

 from Israel's Technion. In 1991 he received the first Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science

Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science

The Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science is a prize that has been awarded annually by the American Physical Society since 1991. The recipient is chosen for "outstanding contributions to basic research which uses lasers to advance our knowledge of the fundamental physical properties of...

 from the American Physical Society

American Physical Society

The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...

.. Sorokin is an IBM Fellow

IBM Fellow

An IBM Fellow is an appointed position at IBM made by IBM’s CEO. Typically only 4 to 9 IBM Fellows are appointed each year, at the annual Corporate Technical Recognition Event in May or June. It is the highest honor a scientist, engineer, or programmer at IBM can achieve.The IBM Fellows program...

since 1968.