Submission + - Laser turns 50 (cnn.com)
sonicimpulse writes: It was dismissed by some scientists as "a solution looking for a problem."
But when the first working laser was rolled out 50 years ago this week — developed at California's Hughes Research Laboratory — it didn't take long for the hyperfocused beams of light to find work.
Having fascinated science-fiction fans since the origins of ray guns in the late 1800s, lasers (literally "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation") have become common in modern life.
From talking on the telephone to listening to a CD, laser technology makes a lot of what we do happen.
But when the first working laser was rolled out 50 years ago this week — developed at California's Hughes Research Laboratory — it didn't take long for the hyperfocused beams of light to find work.
Having fascinated science-fiction fans since the origins of ray guns in the late 1800s, lasers (literally "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation") have become common in modern life.
From talking on the telephone to listening to a CD, laser technology makes a lot of what we do happen.
