Table Of ContentB E A M
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J E F F H E C H T
B E A M
T H E R A C E TO M A K E T H E L A S E R
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Oxford University Press,Inc.,publishes works that further
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Copyright © 2005by Jeff Hecht
Published by Oxford University Press,Inc.
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www.oup.com
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback,2010
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form or by any means,
electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hecht,Jeff.
Beam :the race to make the laser
/ Jeff Hecht.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-19-973871-7
1.Lasers—History—20th century. I.Title.
ta1677.h42 2004
621.36′6′09—dc22 2004002694
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
PREFACE
THE LASER RANKS with the transistor and the computer as a sym-
bol of modern technology.The laser beam was something new to the world;light
that was neatly ordered.A laser beam is a drill team in identical neatly pressed
uniforms marching at halftime straight across the field in formation,not the dis-
orderly mob of people streaming from the stadium afterwards.A laser beam is
coherent light,waves of the same size,with their peaks and valleys lined up,fol-
lowing the same single path so straight and narrow that we call it “laser sharp.”
This book tells the story of that remarkable invention.It focuses on an intense
race to build the laser that took three years.The race began with a conversation
between two very bright men who each dreamed about a source of coherent light
they had not yet named. Charles Townes was an eminent physicist who had
already invented the microwave counterpart of the laser.Gordon Gould was an
easy-to-underestimate long-time graduate student who dreamed of being an
inventor.The two went their separate ways,making waves that spread across the
world of physics.Others joined the race,chasing a Nobel prize or a pot of gold at
the finish line,but when the dust settled a dark horse named Theodore Maiman
had crossed the finish line far ahead of the pack.Maiman’s elegant design sur-
prised the rest,leaving the prestigious Bell Laboratories in stunned denial of his
success.It should have been over then,but Maiman had to battle for acceptance
as the man who made the first laser.
Others have written ably about the history of the laser (see Sources).Maiman
and Townes have written autobiographies, and Nick Taylor has chronicled
Gould’s success in a decades-long patent struggle. Joan Bromberg and Mario
Bertolotti wrote scholarly histories of laser development.I have read and can rec-
ommend them all. But I have chosen a narrower focus: on the three dramatic
years from the time Townes and Gould launched the high-stakes race for the
laser to the recognition of Maiman as the winner.It’s a story of science,inven-
tion,ambition,and scientists,set in an uneasy time,and destined to change their
own lives and the world around them.
I owe profound thanks to many people who helped me in many different
ways. Tony Siegman and Charlie Asawa have patiently answered questions,
served as a sounding board for my ideas,read my draft manuscript,and general-
ly steered me away from follies I was about to commit.Bill Bennett,Steve Jacobs,
Paul Rabinowitz,Irwin Wieder,Irnee D’Haenens,Carol Botteron,Emile Toben-
field and Lois Hecht have read and commented on parts or all of my draft man-
uscript,and patiently responded to my questions.
A long list of people have given generously of their time to share their recol-
lections with me in person or on the phone.Others have corresponded with me
electronically from around the world, thanks to the Internet’s ability to make
links with people whom I otherwise could never find.
The late Bela Lengyel gave me valuable counsel in the early stages of my
research.
The Sources section lists the name of the many people who gave generously
of their time and energy to share their recollections with me in person,on the
phone, in writing, or via electronic mail.This book could not have come alive
without them.I owe them great thanks.
A few people deserve thanks for special bits of help.Adrian Popa gave me a
grand tour that brought Hughes Research Laboratories to life.Gennady Gorelick
helped me to understand the life of scientists in the Soviet Union.David Robert-
son,John Walko,Malcolm Butler,and Bob Cowan helped track down an expla-
nation for the mysterious publication of Ted Maiman’s laser paper in British
Communications & Electronics.Nick Taylor generously shared information he
had gathered for his excellent book Laser:The Inventor,the Nobel Laureate,and
vi • PREFACE
the30-Year Patent War.Howard Rausch long ago brought me into the fascinat-
ing world of the laser community.
My research was greatly helped by access to the rich collection of documents
and photographs held by the Center for the History of Physics at the American
Institute of Physics.Their archives of interviews and documents collected by Joan
Bromberg and Paul Forman for the Laser History Project are a wonderful time
capsule of insight into the early years of the laser.The University of California’s
on-line oral history interviews with Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow are a
great resource.Ed Eckert excavated helpful documents and photos from the Bell
Labs archives.
A generous grant from the Alfred P.Sloan Foundation as part of its program
to encourage books on science and technology allowed me to set aside the time
to write this book and do the detailed research necessary to make it credible.My
agent Jeanne K. Hanson, and Kirk Jensen, Cliff Mills, John Rauschenberg, and
Lisa Stallings of Oxford University Press,and Doron Weber of Sloan also deserve
thanks for their help.
Memories fade with time,so I have tried to correlate documents with memo-
ries whenever possible.The mistakes that doubtless remain are my own.
PREFACE • vii
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CONTENTS
PROLOGUE: MAY 16, 1960, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA 3
1 THE LASER RACE 7
2 MICROWAVES ARE THE FIRST STEP 19
3 LEAPING A FEW ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE:
THE OPTICAL MASER 33
4 THE OUTSIDER’S INVENTION: THE LASER 46
5 BELL LABS TAKES THE EARLY LEAD 60
6 STIMULATING THE EMISSION OF MONEY 73
7 A SPREADING INTEREST IN THE LASER IDEA 83
8 A PAUSE TO COMPARE NOTES 94
9 A DARK HORSE JOINS THE RACE 106
10 “EVERYBODY KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN
WITHIN MONTHS”—BELL LABS FEELS SAFELY
IN THE LEAD 116
11 A CRASH PROGRAM AT “PIPSQUEAK INC.” 127
