Beam: The Race to Make the Laser [Hardcover]

Jeff Hecht (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0195142101 | ISBN-13: 978-0195142105

In 1954, Charles Townes invented the laser's microwave cousin, the maser. The next logical step was to extend the same physical principles to the shorter wavelengths of light, but the idea did not catch fire until October 1957, when Townes asked Gordon Gould about Gould's research on using light to excite thallium atoms. Each took the idea and ran with it. The independent-minded Gould sought the fortune of an independent inventor; the professorial Townes sought the fame of scientific recognition. Townes enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, Arthur Schawlow, and got Bell Labs into the race. Gould turned his ideas into a patent application and a million-dollar defense contract. They soon had company. Ali Javan, one of Townes's former students, began pulling 90-hour weeks at Bell Labs with colleague Bill Bennett. And far away in California a bright young physicist named Ted Maiman became a very dark horse in the race. While Schawlow proclaimed that ruby could never make a laser, Maiman slowly convinced himself it would. As others struggled with recalcitrant equipment and military secrecy, Maiman built a tiny and elegant device that fit in the palm of his hand. His ruby laser worked the first time he tried it, on May 16, 1960, but afterwards he had to battle for acceptance as the man who made the first laser. Beam is a fascinating tale of a remarkable and powerful invention that has become a symbol of modern technology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hecht tells the story of the several competing laboratories that were attempting in the late 1950s to use the phenomenon of simulated emisson to produce a coherent and monochromatic light source. The story is interesting in its own right, both to physicists and engineers interested in the intellectual climate of the time and to the general public as an example of excitement and competition within the scientific community."--CHOICE

About the Author

Jeff Hecht met his first laser as a Caltech undergraduate in 1968, and took a while to figure out what it was good for. In his case, it was a lot of words--he's been writing about lasers and optics for the past thirty years. His books include City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics (OUP, 1999), Understanding Lasers (1994), Understanding Fiber Optics (2002), Laser: Light of a Million Uses (1998), Optics: Light for a New Age (1988), and The Laser Guidebook (1991). He is a correspondent for the weekly international magazine New Scientist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195142101
• ISBN-13: 978-0195142105
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,547,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeff Hecht has been writing about lasers, optics and fiber optics for more than 35 years. After writing for industry magazine Laser Focus World for several years, he began writing books that explain laser science and technology to newcomers to the field. His books are aimed at readers from middle-school students to professionals. The New York Academy of Sciences gave his book Optics: Light for a New Age, honorable mention as one of the best children's science books in older age group in 1988. His technician-training and self-study book Understanding Fiber Optics is now in its fifth edition, with more than 100,000 copies in print.

After years of writing about new science and technology, he turned to the history of fiber optics, writing City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics, as part of the Sloan Technology Series. More recently, he wrote BEAM: The Race to Make The Laser, describing the work that led to the world's first laser in 1960.

He continues to write extensively for magazines, covering topics from lasers to dinosaurs for New Scientist magazine, and continuing developments in lasers and photonics for Laser Focus World

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Read, September 27, 2006

By 

RJB "Ron" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beam: The Race to Make the Laser (Hardcover)

I thought that Jeff Hecht's "City of Light" was a better book but the race became better and better when you get further into it. The writing was casual, informative and descriptive and the technical information slowly evolved (not overbearing) as progress was made by the various principals. Yes, it was a science telenovela. However, I think he should have written a Chapter 20 to give a Wikipedia-like roundup or summation of laser theory and applications. I think the author was persuasive on his remarks on Maiman missing out of the Nobel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The missing unbiased picture, April 13, 2009

By 

S. ragno - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beam: The Race to Make the Laser (Hardcover)

The story is narrated from a neutral point of view and gives a clear picture of the laser research across the various labs ( Bell, TRG, Hughes, IBM, Varian ).

This overview was previously unavailable, given that the other laser books were written by some of the actors ( Townes, Maiman ) and are not neutral.

The technical aspects are explained quite simply and the writing style keeps you entertained with the right amount of trivia.

After finishing the book I decided to home build a laser device in my basement ( probably a CO2 or He-Ne laser ) and discovered there are a lot of laser fans out there.

Well done Mr Hecht.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story, February 8, 2010

By 

Greg D'Haenens (UTAH, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beam: The Race to Make the Laser (Hardcover)

I appreciate the effort it took to tell this story. I was on the edge of my seat at times. There were some really special people doing some rather fantastic science. "Pushing the envelope" is the polite translation of what my dad would say. I was also told this is the most accurate version he had read.