PEW PEW! Fun physics facts about lasers
Lasers are everywhere. They scan our groceries, fix our vision, level our crookedly hung paintings, cut metal, blast Imperial stormtroopers, bedazzle us at concerts, and do roughly a bazillion other things.
It was 60 years ago this week that a young Columbia University grad student named Gordon Gould jotted some sketches in his notebook of a proposed light-emitting device, then had his sketches notarized at a candy store in the Bronx.
Gould could not have anticipated the full significance of what he had sketched: a machine for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (a mouthful that he shortened with the handy acronym LASER).
The theoretical and experimental research that followed led to one of the most significant, and eventually useful, advances in the history of physics.
About PI
Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement.
