When the first working laser pointer came out in 1960, it was described as "searching for a solution to a problem." But before long, the unique quality of lasers (that is, the ability to produce a strong, very narrow single-wavelength beam) was used in the fields of science, technology, and medicine. Today, lasers are everywhere: from research laboratories at the forefront of quantum physics to medical clinics, supermarket checkouts and telephone networks.
There are several aspects of Maiman’s laser that were not considered in our theoretical paper, nor were they discussed by others before the Ruby demonstration. First, Meyman uses a pulsed light source that lasts only a few milliseconds to excite (or "pump") rubies. The laser therefore only produces a short flash of light instead of a continuous wave, but because it releases a large amount of energy in a short time, it provides much more power than most of the previous discussions envisaged. Soon, the Hughes Lab introduced a technology called "Q-switching" to further shorten the laser engraver pulse and increase the instantaneous power to millions of watts or more. The power of the laser is now as high as one trillion (1015) watts! The high intensity of pulsed lasers allows for various new experiments and opens up a new field of nonlinear optics. The nonlinear interaction between light and matter doubles or two-thirds the frequency of light, so for example, a strong red laser can be used to generate green light.
In 1917, Einstein proposed the process of making lasers possible, called stimulated emission. His theory is that in addition to spontaneously absorbing and emitting light, electrons can also be excited to emit light of a specific wavelength (for more information on laser pioneers, see "The Shoulders of Giants"). However, it will take nearly 40 years for scientists to be able to amplify these emissions, prove Einstein's right, and make lasers a powerful and ubiquitous tool today.
In the past ten years, lasers have become larger in size, more powerful, and cheaper. The technology has expanded in the number of wavelengths and the range of materials used. blue laser pointer has entered daily life and otherworldly applications. According to a study by MarketsandMarkets in December 2018, the laser market will exceed $12.9 billion by the end of 2018.