Beam the race to make the laser
In 1954, Charles Townes invented the laser's microwave cousin, the maser. The next logical step was to extend the same physical principles to the shorter wavelengths of light, but the idea did not catch fire until October 1957, when Townes asked Gordon Gould about Gould's research on using...
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| Language: | Undetermined English |
| Published: |
Oxford ; New York
Oxford University Press
2005
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| Institutions: | Trung tâm Học liệu Trường Đại học Trà Vinh |
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| Summary: | In 1954, Charles Townes invented the laser's microwave cousin, the maser. The next logical step was to extend the same physical principles to the shorter wavelengths of light, but the idea did not catch fire until October 1957, when Townes asked Gordon Gould about Gould's research on using light to excite thallium atoms. Each took the idea and ran with it. The independent-minded Gould sought the fortune of an independent inventor; the professorial Townes sought the fame of scientific recognition. Townes enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, Arthur Schawlow, and got Bell Labs into the race. Gould turned his ideas into a patent application and a million-dollar defense contract. They soon had company |
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| Physical Description: | x, 274 p. ill. 24 cm |
| ISBN: | 0195142101 9780195142105 |