LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. But before we start talking about the future of lasers (hello phasers), let’s take a look at where it all began.

It’s development in 1960 still stands as one of the major breakthroughs of the 20th Century. Did you know that the groundwork for the laser took place in the early 1950s with the MASER; an AFOSR supported invention by the Nobel prize winning Dr. Charles Townes? Now when we know what the word laser means, here’s some brief but interesting info on laser technology from Wikipedia:

laser which produces light by itself is technically an optical oscillator rather than an optical amplifier as suggested by the acronym. It has been humorously noted that the acronym LOSER, for “light oscillation by stimulated emission of radiation,” would have been more correct. With the widespread use of the original acronym as a common noun, actual optical amplifiers have come to be referred to as “laser amplifiers”, notwithstanding the apparent redundancy in that designation.

The back-formed verb to lase is frequently used in the field, meaning “to produce laser light,” especially in reference to the gain medium of a laser; when a laser is operating it is said to be “lasing.” Further use of the words laser and maser in an extended sense, not referring to laser technology or devices, can be seen in usages such as astrophysical maser and atom laser.

In this video, meet some of AFOSR’s supported engineers and scientists who continue to push the boundaries of scientific discovery!

Source: Armed with Science