1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910813144503321

Autore

Hecht Jeff

Titolo

Beam [[electronic resource] ] : the race to make the laser / / Jeff Hecht

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford ; ; New York, : Oxford University Press, 2005

ISBN

0-19-759225-2

0-19-020754-X

9786613890054

0-19-975572-8

1-283-57760-7

1-280-70393-8

0-19-803249-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (285 p.)

Disciplina

621.36/6/09

Soggetti

Lasers - History - 20th century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

CONTENTS; PROLOGUE: MAY 16, I960, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA; 1 THE LASER RACE; 2 MICROWAVES ARE THE FIRST STEP; 3 LEAPING A FEW ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE: THE OPTICAL MASER; 4 THE OUTSIDER'S INVENTION : THE LASER; 5 BELL LABS TAKES THE EARLY LEAD; 6 STIMULATING THE EMISSION OF MONEY; 7 A SPREADING INTEREST IN THE LASER IDEA; 8 A PAUSE TO COMPARE NOTES; 9 A DARK HORSE JOINS THE RACE; 10 ""EVERYBODY KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITHIN MONTHS"" - BELL LABS FEELS SAFELY IN THE LEAD; I I A CRASH PROGRAM AT ""PIPSQUEAK INC.""; 12 THE SIREN CALL OF THE LASER; 13 THE CRITICAL QUESTION OF EFFICIENCY

14 AN IDEA SIMPLER IN THEORY THAN IN PRACTICE15 TRIUMPH IN THE PALACE OF SCIENCE; 16 AN UNEXPECTED STRUGGLE FOR ACCEPTANCE; 17 ""WE WERE ASTOUNDED"" -A STUNNED REACTION; 18 RUNNERS-UP CROSS THE FINISH LINE; I 9 EPILOGUE; DRAMATIS PERSONAE; SOURCES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

Sommario/riassunto

Prologue: May 16, 1960, Malibu, California. 1. The Laser Race. 2. Microwaves Are the First Step. 3. Leaping a Few Orders of Magnitude: The Optical Maser. 4. The Outsider's Invention: The Laser. 5. Bell Labs



Takes the Early Lead. 6. Stimulating the Emission of Money. 7. A Spreading Interest in the Laser Idea. 8. A Pause to Compare Notes. 9. A Dark Horse Joins the Race. 10. ""Everybody knew it was going to happen within months""-Bell Labs Feels Safely in the Lead. 11. A Crash Program at ""Pipsqueak Inc."". 12. The Siren Call of the Laser. 13. The Critical Question of Efficiency. 14. An Idea Simp