LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of .
The concept consists of an excited state atom encountering a photon of the .
same energy that corresponds to the DE between the excited and ground states of the .
atom. When such a photon is encountered, it causes the emission of another photon of the .
same energy. Albert Einstein first suggested this phenomenon in a 1916 paper proving .
Plank's law of radiation. The idea but it was considered odd and the event of photon .
interaction with an excited state atom rare. Only much later did scientists begin to create .
inverted populations with more atoms in the excited state than the ground state so that .
absorption would not dominate the process and stimulated emission could occur.
In 1954, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invented the microwave .
amplification by stimulated emission of radiation by using ammonia gas and microwave .
radiation - the maser was invented before the optical laser. The technology is very close .
but does not use a visible light. .
In 1958, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow thought about a visible laser, an .
invention that would use infrared or visible spectrum light. .
Theodore Maiman invented the ruby laser thought to be the first successful .
optical or light laser. Many people claim that Theodore Maiman invented the first .
optical laser but there is some controversy that Gordon Gould was the first. .
Gordon Gould was the first person to use the word "laser". There is many reason to .
believe that Gordon Gould did made the first light laser. Gould was a very smart student .
at Columbia University under Charles Townes The inventor of the maser. Gordon Gould .
was inspired to build his optical laser starting in 1958. He failed to file for a patent his invention until 1959. As a result Gordon Gould's patent was refused and his technolgy .
was copyed by others. It took until 1977 for Gordon Gould to finally win his patent war .