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Springer Biography
The Laser Inventor: Memoirs of Theodore H. Maiman
In these engaging memoirs of a maverick, Theodore H. Maiman describes the life events leading to his invention of the laser in 1960. Maiman succeeded using his expertise in physics and engineering along with an ingenious and elegant design not anticipated by others. His pink ruby laser produced mankind’s first-ever coherent light and has provided transformational technology for commerce, industry, telecom, the Internet, medicine, and all the sciences. Maiman also chronicles the resistance from his employer and the ongoing intrigue by competing researchers in industry and academia seeking to diminish his contribution in inventing the first laser. This work will appeal to a wide readership, from physicists and engineers through science enthusiasts to general readers. The volume includes extensive photos and documentary materials related to Maiman’s life and accomplishments never before published.
351 pages, Hardcover
Published January 23, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2018
While the memoirs of many scientists are probably best kept for family consumption, there are some breakthroughs where the story is sufficiently engaging that it can be fascinating to get an inside view on what really happened. Although Theodore Maiman's autobiographical book is not a slick, journalist-polished account, it is very effective at highlighting two significant narratives - how Maiman was able to construct the first ever laser, despite having far fewer resources than many of his competitors, and how 'establishment' academic physicists, particularly in the US, tried to minimise his achievement.
On the straight autobiographical side, we get some early background and discover how Maiman combined degrees in electrical engineering and physics to have an unusually strong mix of the practical and the theoretical. Rather than go into academia after his doctorate, he went into industry - which seems to have been responsible for the backlash against his invention, which we'll come back to in a moment. In describing his route to creating the laser, Maiman doesn't cover up his own worries that he was using the wrong technology, but explains why he felt it was worth carrying on.
What comes through is that, unlike many of his contemporaries, he combined a strong awareness of what was sensibly achievable - so avoided extremely corrosive high-temperature alkali metal gasses such as sodium and potassium, used in other labs at the time in an attempt to create a laser. Similarly, he kept away from cryogenically cooled solutions, which might have worked in a lab, but were totally impractical for most real-world applications. And rather than accept that, as many others argued, it would be impossible to used a ruby as the lasing material, he went ahead and proved them all wrong.
When we hear his reaction to the 'establishment', Maiman can come across as bitter - but it was with good reason. He points out that 10 people were awarded Nobel Prizes linked to lasers... but the Nobel committee totally ignored the man who built the first laser - a bizarre decision. Almost as soon as Maiman's employer, the Hughes Corporation, announced the successful development of the laser, competitors who more part of the academic establishment, apparently sneering at Maiman's work in industry, tried to minimise his achievement and to suggest that others really 'invented' the laser, even though these designs were never made to to work. This counter-spin went on for decades. Although it's a sad story in some ways, the whole sordid business very much adds to the intriguing nature of the book.
I've only one minor criticism, which is that Maiman, probably feeling defensive after this ridiculous carping from his competitors, does seem to slightly play down the contribution of his assistant. In describing how he came to use a camera flash type lamp, Maiman says 'I remembered reading an article about photographic strobe lamps, a camera's flash mechanism... I now had my "aha"!' But in Jeff Hecht's book on the development of the laser - which Maiman appears to endorse - we are told that Maiman's assistant Charlie Asawa looked into pulsed light sources and got the idea of using a photographic flash lamp from an office colleague, Leo Levitt, which he showed to Maiman. This doesn't in any way reduce Maiman's role as the inventor of the laser, it just misses out a little on an interesting part of the process.
The Laser Inventor is an interesting and engaging peek into one of modern history of science and technology's most dramatic, far-reaching developments. Recommended.
On the straight autobiographical side, we get some early background and discover how Maiman combined degrees in electrical engineering and physics to have an unusually strong mix of the practical and the theoretical. Rather than go into academia after his doctorate, he went into industry - which seems to have been responsible for the backlash against his invention, which we'll come back to in a moment. In describing his route to creating the laser, Maiman doesn't cover up his own worries that he was using the wrong technology, but explains why he felt it was worth carrying on.
What comes through is that, unlike many of his contemporaries, he combined a strong awareness of what was sensibly achievable - so avoided extremely corrosive high-temperature alkali metal gasses such as sodium and potassium, used in other labs at the time in an attempt to create a laser. Similarly, he kept away from cryogenically cooled solutions, which might have worked in a lab, but were totally impractical for most real-world applications. And rather than accept that, as many others argued, it would be impossible to used a ruby as the lasing material, he went ahead and proved them all wrong.
When we hear his reaction to the 'establishment', Maiman can come across as bitter - but it was with good reason. He points out that 10 people were awarded Nobel Prizes linked to lasers... but the Nobel committee totally ignored the man who built the first laser - a bizarre decision. Almost as soon as Maiman's employer, the Hughes Corporation, announced the successful development of the laser, competitors who more part of the academic establishment, apparently sneering at Maiman's work in industry, tried to minimise his achievement and to suggest that others really 'invented' the laser, even though these designs were never made to to work. This counter-spin went on for decades. Although it's a sad story in some ways, the whole sordid business very much adds to the intriguing nature of the book.
I've only one minor criticism, which is that Maiman, probably feeling defensive after this ridiculous carping from his competitors, does seem to slightly play down the contribution of his assistant. In describing how he came to use a camera flash type lamp, Maiman says 'I remembered reading an article about photographic strobe lamps, a camera's flash mechanism... I now had my "aha"!' But in Jeff Hecht's book on the development of the laser - which Maiman appears to endorse - we are told that Maiman's assistant Charlie Asawa looked into pulsed light sources and got the idea of using a photographic flash lamp from an office colleague, Leo Levitt, which he showed to Maiman. This doesn't in any way reduce Maiman's role as the inventor of the laser, it just misses out a little on an interesting part of the process.
The Laser Inventor is an interesting and engaging peek into one of modern history of science and technology's most dramatic, far-reaching developments. Recommended.
March 4, 2019
Discovery of the Laser as a Light Source Brought Innovations
Review from the Dutch Journal Optical Phenomena (translated)
The publication of "The Laser Inventor" fulfills a valuable purpose in reissuing the memoirs originally published in 2000 by the famous scientist, researcher, and inventor Theodore Harold Maiman (1927-2007) titled "The Laser Odyssey". The new book, published 10 years after the death of Theodore Maiman, contains an introduction by Kathleen Maiman. In this extensive introduction the widow of Theodore Maiman describes the great adventure of her husband in his search for a usable laser. Attention is paid to a number of reactions from his colleagues and his correspondence with other researchers. She also writes about the enormous advance of the laser, and the book contains historical documents of her husband and new photographs showing activities around commemorations and exhibitions.
Following this valuable and informative introduction, the memoirs offer an account of the fascinating path full of facts, successes, disappointments, oppositions, and events on the way to one of the most important discoveries in the world of applied physics, the ruby laser of Theodore H. Maiman.
Maiman also describes remarkable events to his readers about his private life. He studied engineering at the University of Colorado and at Stanford University, where he graduated in physics in 1955. He was primarily interested in applications of the fundamentals of physics and started with Hughes Research Laboratories, a company that focused on the aviation industry. It was a breeding ground for research and innovations. Initially Maiman developed a small version of the maser -- microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. His further research focused on the use of light radiation and its concentration. With his assistant he presented the first functioning laser in the world on May 16, 1960. The ruby laser was there and triggered a series of developments in virtually all scientific and professional fields of society, art, and industry and meant a breakthrough for holography. The Hughes company did not support his work sufficiently, so Maiman started his own company. In 1967 he received an American patent on his invention. In this richly illustrated book, Maiman describes all small and big experiences in a very pleasant way and down to the smallest details.
Highly recommended! ISBN 978-3-319-61939-2, "The Laser Inventor", Theodore H. Maiman, Springer Verlag, 2018, 312 pages.
https://www.optischefenomenen.nl/blog...
Review from the Dutch Journal Optical Phenomena (translated)
The publication of "The Laser Inventor" fulfills a valuable purpose in reissuing the memoirs originally published in 2000 by the famous scientist, researcher, and inventor Theodore Harold Maiman (1927-2007) titled "The Laser Odyssey". The new book, published 10 years after the death of Theodore Maiman, contains an introduction by Kathleen Maiman. In this extensive introduction the widow of Theodore Maiman describes the great adventure of her husband in his search for a usable laser. Attention is paid to a number of reactions from his colleagues and his correspondence with other researchers. She also writes about the enormous advance of the laser, and the book contains historical documents of her husband and new photographs showing activities around commemorations and exhibitions.
Following this valuable and informative introduction, the memoirs offer an account of the fascinating path full of facts, successes, disappointments, oppositions, and events on the way to one of the most important discoveries in the world of applied physics, the ruby laser of Theodore H. Maiman.
Maiman also describes remarkable events to his readers about his private life. He studied engineering at the University of Colorado and at Stanford University, where he graduated in physics in 1955. He was primarily interested in applications of the fundamentals of physics and started with Hughes Research Laboratories, a company that focused on the aviation industry. It was a breeding ground for research and innovations. Initially Maiman developed a small version of the maser -- microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. His further research focused on the use of light radiation and its concentration. With his assistant he presented the first functioning laser in the world on May 16, 1960. The ruby laser was there and triggered a series of developments in virtually all scientific and professional fields of society, art, and industry and meant a breakthrough for holography. The Hughes company did not support his work sufficiently, so Maiman started his own company. In 1967 he received an American patent on his invention. In this richly illustrated book, Maiman describes all small and big experiences in a very pleasant way and down to the smallest details.
Highly recommended! ISBN 978-3-319-61939-2, "The Laser Inventor", Theodore H. Maiman, Springer Verlag, 2018, 312 pages.
https://www.optischefenomenen.nl/blog...
June 27, 2018
This saga of a man whose mind wouldn’t rest until he created a functional answer to a complex question, is fascinating. It’s a human, approachable story, even if the reader isn’t of scientific bent. Additionally, the man himself does well in explaining to novices, the science behind his invention. I came away having more understanding of the harnessing of coherent light, than I ever thought possible. Well written, fun read!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews