LASER and its applications document is summarized as follows:
1. LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) was first conceptualized by Einstein and later developed by Townes, Schawlow, and Maiman. A laser produces coherent, monochromatic light through stimulated emission in an active medium within an optical cavity.
2. Key laser components include the active medium which contains energy levels that can absorb or emit radiation, pumping to create population inversion, and an optical resonator.
3. Lasers have properties like coherence, monochromaticity, directionality, and high brightness that make them useful for applications in medicine, industry, science, and military such