The Laser at 50: Advancing Science through Beams of Coherent Light

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

The Pentagon ramps up efforts to field directed-energy beam weapons for land, air and sea

Green laser light can trigger collagen fibers to link up in nerves and other damaged tissue

Lasers that stimulate condensation may help to induce rain artificially.

A still-useful laser reflector, Lunokhod 1, left on the moon in 1970 and missing since 1971 has finally been spotted by researchers at the U.C. San Diego, working with NASA images. Cynthia Graber reports

Researchers defy the laws of physics by making a laser beam bend

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

Flexible optical fibers would provide access to hard-to-reach areas of the body

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

New ultrashort-pulse laser delivers enough power to vaporize more viruses without harming healthy cells

A revolutionary kind of laser light called an optical frequency comb makes possible a more precise type of atomic clock and many other applications

New exhibit shows how technology helps to study and restore artwork

Researchers have used powerful lasers to induce lightning in thunderclouds. Cynthia Graber reports.

A recent shift in U.S. military strategy and provocative actions by china threaten to ignite a new arms race in space. But would placing weapons in space be in anyone's national interest?

Lasers and living tissue actually work together to make laser incisions work exceptionally effectively. Chelsea Wald reports.

Red bar-code and DVD lasers may get multicolored company thanks to new ultramicroscopic crystals

Microlasers go deeper into the infrared to boost optical networking