Why did Gordon Gould invent the LASER?
According to the invention information website Invent Now, Gordon Gould was the inventor of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) technology. Patenting of the laser was held up by the U.S. Patent Office for around 20 years as disputes raged over whose idea the laser was. Gould received his first laser patent in 1977.HistoryThe invention of the laser was an extension of research conducted by Charles Townes during World War II. The Lemelsol-MIT Program explains Townes invented the “maser,” which used microwave energy instead of light energy.StudiesGould studied physics at New York’s Columbia University under Townes. According to the Longview Institute, Gould was inspired to research laser technology after conversations about maser and laser technology with Townes.EnergyThe Lemelson-MIT Program explains that Gould realized each photon of light energy used in laser technology contained 100,000 times the energy in each microwave used in maser technology. Gould real
