TY - BOOK ID - 2737215 TI - How the laser happened : adventures of a scientist PY - 1999 SN - 0195122682 9780195122688 PB - New York Oxford Oxford University Press DB - UniCat KW - Lasers KW - Masers KW - Science and state KW - Politique scientifique et technique KW - History. KW - Histoire KW - History KW - -Masers KW - -Science and state KW - -Science KW - Science policy KW - State and science KW - State, The KW - Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation KW - Quantum mechanical amplifiers KW - Electromagnetism KW - Electron tubes KW - Infrared sources KW - Microwave amplifiers KW - Microwave devices KW - Optical pumping KW - Quantum electronics KW - Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation KW - Masers, Optical KW - Optical masers KW - Light amplifiers KW - Light sources KW - Optoelectronic devices KW - Nonlinear optics KW - Optical parametric oscillators KW - Government policy KW - -History KW - United States KW - Masers - History KW - Science and state - United States - History KW - Lasers - History UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:2737215 AB - Charles Townes is one of the leading figures in twentieth-century physics, inventor of the maser and the laser, and one of the pioneers in the use of spectroscopic techniques to determine the atomic composition of stars. This book is the memoir of a life devoted to scientific research, and also to the application of this research in the public sphere. A Nobel laureate, Townes was also the first scientist to accept a full-time position advising the Executive Branch, and later was a founder of the Jasons, a very influential group of scientists independently advising the U.S. government on defense matters. He also served on the board of General Motors. The book describes the history of the maser, of which the laser is a special application, and also sheds light on the complex relationship between science and policy from Truman to Reagan. Townes is a revered figure, with a powerful personal magnetism, and his book should attract attention from physicists and engineers as well as anyone interested in the history of modern technology and the development of federal defense policies. ER -