Maiman, Theodore (1927-2007), an American physicist, designed and operated the first laser in 1960. Lasers, which produce a narrow, intense beam of light, have many applications in such areas as surgery, scientific research, communications, industry, and entertainment.
Theodore Harold Maiman was born on July 11, 1927, in Los Angeles. He studied engineering physics at the University of Colorado and received his Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in California in 1955. From 1955 to 1961, he worked at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Miami, Florida. He first worked on the maser, a device that amplifies (strengthens) microwaves. The word maser means _m_icrowave _a_mplification by _s_timulated _e_mission of _r_adiation.
The American physicist Charles H. Townes had built the first maser in 1953. Scientists had proposed the possibility of developing the maser to make an optical maser, which would amplify waves of visible light. Maiman was the first to succeed in making such a device, which is now called the laser.
Maiman built his device with a cylindrical ruby crystal with mirror-coated ends. Flashes of ordinary white light enter the crystal, where the mirrors reflect the beam internally back and forth, until eventually an intense beam of light emerges.
In 1962, Maiman founded the Korad Corporation to build and develop lasers. In 1968, he founded Maiman Associates, a consulting firm specializing in lasers and optics. In 1972, he cofounded the Laser Video Corporation to produce large-screen video displays. Maiman served as director of advanced technology at TRW Electronics (now part of Northrop Grumman Corp.) in Los Angeles from 1975 to 1983. Maiman died on May 5, 2007.
