Hug a Laser

It is my duty as a blogger to mention lasers in this time of international laser celebration. This May is the 50th anniversary of the first lasers. Everyone knows a laser that they love, right? We all use them. So, instead of talking about lasers, I am going to post some great links to other laser stuff (including some of my stuff).

the history of the first lasers (AIP)

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The above is the American Institute of Physics's presentation of the history of the laser. Really, this does a great job of giving all the details you would want. I highly recommend it.

Uncertain Principle's Laser applications

Chad gives the result of his laser smack down poll for most amazing applications of lasers (voter based). I guess I can tell you that the winner of voting is Laser cooling.

Laser Recoil discussion

The Virtuosi and Built on Facts have some nice posts about lasers and recoil (for laser guns).

Some of my stuff

Honestly, I have not done that much stuff with lasers. Really most of my laser stuff just uses lasers for something else.

Fluorescence with a green laser pointer

Ruff Ruffman tries to measure temperature with a laser

Lizards like green laser pointers too.

More like this

I'm rooting around in my bag for a pen, and pull out a laser pointer by mistake. Since I'd really prefer not to be grading, I flip it on and shine it on the floor next to the spot where Emmy is half-dozing. She immediately leaps up (she's pretty spry for a dog of 12...), and pounces on it. Or tries…
I can't let this week go by without mentioning that it is - officially - the 50th birthday of the invention of the laser. Officially, anyway. On the 16th of May 1960, Theodore H. Maiman produced the first working optical laser. There was actually recently a huge slap-fight in the letters to the…
What's the application? Using lasers to reduce the speed of a sample of atoms, thereby reducing their temperature to a tiny fraction of a degree above absolute zero. What problem(s) is it the solution to? 1) "How can I make this sample of atoms move slowly enough to measure their properties very…
I'm going to be away from the computer for the long weekend, but I don't want to have the site go completely dark, even over a weekend, so I'm going to schedule a few posts from the archives to show up while I'm away. Everyone else seems to be doing it (and pushing my posts off the front page, the…

I definitely have lasers I want to hug, but more often than not, I have lasers I want to kick. It's too bad these lasers cost more money than I'm likely to make in my lifetime otherwise I would kick 'em! Stupid lasers.

The AIP exhibit certainly looks interesting, but the link gives me a 404...

By Rafael Ribas (not verified) on 04 May 2010 #permalink