One little problem with Townes' presentation. He claims that the maser and laser just differ in a "small" respect: their wavelength. Well, the laser operates in the visible light frequency, which is a mere 10,000 times the microwave frequency. Making a laser work -- that is, the invention of the laser -- was not a trivial matter. In fact, the theory and proposal developed by Townes (along with his brother-in-law physicist Arthur Schawlow) in a 1958 paper never led to a practical, working laser. Theodore Maiman independently worked out the requirements for a laser, and in 1960 he designed, fabricated, and demonstrated the first-ever laser; thus Maiman has clear claim as inventor of the laser. Maiman's laser was a solid-state device using pink ruby crystal, which Schawlow had proclaimed would "never work!" On various occasions over his lifetime, Townes has claimed to be, or allowed others to assert him as, the inventor of the laser, with the backing from Bell Labs PR department.
@Torulv
9 жыл бұрын
I would be more interested to hear him talk about how he stays lucid at that age! He speaks fast and doesn't take pauses to remember or think.
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