Laser Pioneers [Hardcover]

This work presents the intriguing story of laser technology development through interviews with the scientists who made history with their groundbreaking research. Laser Pioneers, Revised Edition, describes a race for innovative laser technologies that resulted in several Nobel Prizes and one of the most bitter patent fights of the twentieth century. This book makes fascinating reading for anyone involved with physics, engineering, optics, lasers, or the history of science--or anyone simply interested in the process of invention.

• Contains interviews with 15 key scientists in laser research and development
• Provides an extensive overview of laser history
• Includes interviews with three Nobel Prize winners

Contents (List of those interviewed): C.H. Townes, Infared and Optical Masers. A.L. Schawlow, Origins of the Laser. N. Bloembergen, Masers and Nonlinear Optics. G. Gould, Another View of Laser Development. T.H. Maiman, The First Laser. P. Sorokin, The Second Laser and the Dye Laser. A. Javan, The Helium-Neon Laser. R.N. Hall, The Semiconductor Laser. C.K.N. Patel, The Carbon-Dioxide Laser. W. Bridges, The Ion Laser. W.T. Silfvast, Metal-Vapor Lasers. J.J. Ewing, Excimer Lasers. J.M.J. Madey, The Free-Election Laser. D.L. Matthews, The X-Ray Laser. Index.

[This text] should be interesting to lay persons, students, historians, and experts in the field. It also inspires the reader. Oftentimes I could not put the book down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may be interested in the development of lasers. --PHYSICS IN CANADA

Hecht has written a 'narrative' about the invention of the first laser that is simply first rate...Laser Pioneers is certainly an important edition to the published literature of laser history. --OPTICS & PHOTONICS NEWS