How The Laser Happened

How the Laser Happened is the memoir of Charles Townes, a Nobel laureate in physics who is one of the pioneers in the use of spectroscopic techniques to determine the atomic composition of stars. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the life and work of a scientist who has dedicated his life to curiosity-driven research. Townes' work on the maser and the laser has had a profound impact on modern technology, and his story is also a brief autobiography of one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. If you are interested in science and its impact on society, I recommend you read How the Laser Happened.

Charles Townes, a Nobel laureate, is one of the leading figures in twentieth-century physics, inventor of the maser and the laser, and one of the pioneers in the use of spectroscopic techniques to determine the atomic composition of stars. This book is the memoir of a life devoted to scientific research, and also to the application of this research in the public sphere. Review: ... marvellous ... demonstrates how curiosity-driven research can have unexpected and extraordinary practical ramifications ... not only about the evolution of the laser but also serves as a brief autobiography of Charles Townes ... Although brief this book is fascinating reading. If a friend or a politician should ask you, Why does one do science and what is the benefit to society? I recommend that you give him or her a copy of How the Laser Happened. * ISIS *