The laser: The Past and Present

Lasers are a fairly recent invention and they still seem very futuristic. In 1917, Einstein mathematically proved (E = mc2) that under special conditions, controlled radiation could be obtained from an atom.

History

The earliest invention of the laser-like device was maser. 'Maser' is an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A laser is a specialized type of maser. 'Laser' is an acronym for light amplification for stimulated emission of radiation. The invention of the laser dates back to 1958 with the publication of the scientific paper, Infrared and Optical Masers by Arthur L. Schawlow and Charles H. Townes. By then, they had propositions of how light can be made coherent by the amplification of stimulated emission of radiation.

Present Applications

The uses of the laser in the industry are virtually countless. Metals and elements that were once thought to be indestructible can now be penetrated at the concentrated thermal touch of a laser. The laser has diverse applications and these applications fall into several basic categories: Materials working Measurement and inspection Reading, writing and recording information Displays Communications Holography Spectroscopy Remote sensing surveying, marketing and alignment Surgery and medical treatment There were also several important research applications pursued on various scales by government and industrial organizations and in universities: Laser weaponry Laser-induced nuclear fusion Isotope enrichment (particularly uranium and plutonium) Spectroscopy and atomic physics Measurement Plasma diagnostics The research on Laser Paint Stripping Process is one of the laser projects that were first carried out in UMIST, Manchester.