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May 16 marks the 50th anniversary of the first working laser, invented at Hughes Research Laboratories in 1960. We take a look at the past, present and potential future of this groundbreaking technology
May 14, 2010 |
Extreme Tech
Green laser light can trigger collagen fibers to link up in nerves and other damaged tissue
Features
Lasers can be used to trap and manipulate electrically neutral particles. These techniques have allowed scientists to cool vapors to near absolute zero, develop new atomic clocks, and stretch single molecules of DNA
Extreme Tech
The Pentagon ramps up efforts to field directed-energy beam weapons for land, air and sea
Features
Former Hughes Aircraft Company researchers Daniel Nieuwsma and Bob Byren recall the birth of the laser and the past three decades they have spent taking the technology in new directions
Flexible optical fibers would provide access to hard-to-reach areas of the body
Semiconductors can generate laser light in all colors except one. But new techniques for growing laser diodes could soon make brilliant full-spectrum displays a reality
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has announced that the world's biggest laser is ready to start blasting away after 12 years in the making
Researchers defy the laws of physics by making a laser beam bend
Could a "LightCraft" be pushed out to the stars by a pulsed infrared laser beam from the ground or pulled into space by a laser beamed down from a solar-powered station orbiting Earth?
When you flash a laser for the first time...it's like you've created something magical.
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This challenge provides an opportunity for Solvers to build a web-based or mobile “app” to explore data relationships in scholarly conte
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