Since the invention of the first working laser in 1960, development of these devices has progressed at an unprecedented rate, to the extent that the laser is now a common part of everyday life, from the semiconductor laser used in CD players and telecommunication systems to the high power eximer lasers used in manufacturing processes. This book tra

Mario Bertolotti University of Rome 'La Sapienza'

Introduction,The wave and corpuscular theories of light, Spectroscopy,Black body radiation,The Rutherford-Bohr atom, Einstein,Einstein and light: the photoelectric effect and stimulated emission,Microwaves,Spectroscopy: Act 2,The magnetic resonance,The maser,The proposal for an optical maser, The misadventures of Gordon Gould, Finally the laser! What is it worth?