Re: acronym LASER

[Stephen Speicher <sjs@COMPBIO.CALTECH.EDU>]

On Tue, 15 Jul 2003, Larry Smith wrote:
> At 1:08 PM -0400 7/14/03, Wordsmith wrote:
> > --------------------------------
> >
> > From: J. Ramanand (ramanand_j@persistent.co.in)
> > Subject: On acronyms
> >
> > An interesting (and perhaps apocryphal too) story about the coining of
> > "LASER" (for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation")
> > is that the initial description of this physical concept was to be "Light
> > Oscillation by Stimulated Emission of Radiation".
> >
> > Why the "oscillation" was replaced by "amplification" is amply clear from
> > the two possible acronyms!
> >
> > --------------------------------
>
> Can anyone verify or refute the following story?  I would think the MASER
> would be a refutation.

Although Theodore Maiman generally receives credit for
constructing the first Laser, it was Gordon Gould of the
Technical Research Group who several years earlier, in 1957, was
first to use the acronym.  While the stories of the LOSER acronym
are cute, I believe they only started several years after the
first patent applications were already processed.

I would agree that the previously existing term MASER should be
sufficient to relegate LOSER as being apocryphal, especially
since Gould studied under Charles Townes, the man who invented
the MASER.

--
Stephen
speicher@caltech.edu

Ignorance is just a placeholder for knowledge.

Printed using 100% recycled electrons.
-----------------------------------------------------------