In 1960, a physicist fired a ruby crystal and created the first working laser
According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maiman’s apparatus produced more coherent light and used a ruby crystal in which chromium atoms were excited by a burst of light from a xenon flash lamp. Mirrors placed at each end of the crystal would reflect the emitted light, amplifying it until a narrow, intense laser pulse emerged.
According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maiman’s apparatus produced more coherent light and used a ruby crystal in which chromium atoms were excited by a burst of light from a xenon flash lamp. Mirrors placed at each end of the crystal would reflect the emitted light, amplifying it until a narrow, intense laser pulse emerged.
