WE HAVE TAMED LIGHT WITH THE INVENTION OF THE LASER AND MADE IT USEFUL TO MANKIND

When lasers were invented in 1960, they were called "a solution looking for a problem". Since then, they have become ubiquitous, finding utility in thousands of highly varied applications in every section of modern society, including consumer electronics, information technology, science, medicine, industry, law enforcement, entertainment, and the military . A laser is an electronic-optical device that produces coherent radiation. This is in contrast to a light source such as the incandescent light bulb, which emits light into a large solid angle and over a wide spectrum of wavelength. The first working laser was demonstrated in 1960 by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories. Recently, lasers have become a multi-billion dollar industry. The most widespread use of lasers is in optical storage devices such as compact disc and DVD players. In industry, lasers are used for cutting steel and other metals and for inscribing patterns. Lasers are also commonly used in various fields in science and medicine.

In 1917, Albert Einstein theoretically laid the foundation for the invention of the laser. There are many different kinds of lasers in use now and many to be discovered in the future. A typical list would include: Gas lasers, Helium neon lasers, Carbon dioxide lasers, Argon-ion lasers, Metal ion lasers. Each of these would have very specific uses and revolutionized the industries they were applied in. It is in the field of medicine that the laser has become extraordinarily useful. They provide bloodless surgery, laser healing. servical healing, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, prostate surgery, skin treatments and facial reshaping, and even dentistry is a growing area. Lasers have found a growing place on the battlefield and even in air combat.

So what is the future for this growing tool that began so simply? It is expected that lasers will play a part in igniting fusion furnaces for power generation, which is pretty exotic stuff. But the most exotic applications have yet to be discovered. We should give honor to all those pioneers of the 50’s and 60’s who gave us this extraordinary light.