A 5-micrometer glass bead levitated in air by a single laser beam from below. This optical trap is formed by the force from the laser beam and the gravitational force on the bead. Tongcang Li, et. al. used a similar optical trap to study the Brownian motion of a trapped bead in air with ultra-high resolution. Their paper is published in Science.
Today President Barack Obama sent a “Presidential Message” to the founding partners of LaserFest commemorating the 50th anniversary of the laser. The message commends those who have made possible this important technological milestone. President Obama stated that he “looks forward to future advances in this field and new applications as yet undreamed of today.”
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Earlier this month, the US House of Representatives passed House Resolution 130, which also commemorates the laser anniversary. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Vernon Ehlers, who holds a PhD in nuclear physics from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. According to Ehlers, “Fifty years ago, when the laser was invented using funds from the Department of Defense, the technology was referred to as a ‘solution looking for a problem.’ Today, this technology contributes billions of dollars to the US economy and is a shining example of the importance of long-term, sustainable federal funding for scientific research and development.” A congressional resolution is meaningful because the US Congress formally recognizes the importance of this invention.
via OSA NEWS.
A timeline of the Laser from Photonics.com
The global market for lasers will grow by $2.6 billion to $8.8 billion in 2014, a compound annual growth rate of 9%, according to US-based market analyst Strategies Unlimited. This is a more moderate estimate than the average rate of 14% over the history of the market.
via optics.org.
A gallery on lasers from NewScientist.
The original “solution looking for a problem”, the laser is now 50 years old but still seems futuristic. This gallery charts the evolution of a technology that underpins everything from the fibre-optic backbone of the internet to the search for clean fusion energy.
Cool stuff.
The rain dance is getting a twenty-first-century revamp using laser technology. Optical physicists have demonstrated that shooting lasers into the air can trigger the formation of water droplets, a technique that could one day help to stimulate rainfall.
via Nature News.
May 2010 issue of Physics World marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser, and can be freely downloaded.
This issue celebrates what has been one of the outstanding success stories in physics. We take a look at the laser’s huge impact on popular culture (think Goldfinger and laser-art shows) and on everyday life (DVDs, laser pointers, bar-code scanners). We also relive the race to build the world’s first working laser – a story still laced with controversy. Find out about the technological impact of lasers in fibre optics and at the quest for green-wavelength laser diodes that could let mobile phones project images onto any surface. Basic research gets a look-in, too – in terms of both ultrahigh power and ultrafast lasers. Don’t miss our special timeline of laser history and see what you think of our six experts’ predictions for where laser science will go next.
The ownership of the beloved Optics.org has been transferred to SPIE Europe. What I didn’t know is that optics.org was originally founded by SPIE and took over by IOP later. Continue Reading »
