Laser applications

When lasers were new many people seemed to expect that this exciting development would rapidly revolutionize civilization. More than seven years have now passed since the advent of the first laser and the world has changed only slightly. As a result, it has been said that the laser is a solution in search of a problem. It is the purpose of this article to show that, in spite of comments to the contrary, there are some problems for which lasers are a solution. It is appropriate to do this now because the state of the art has reached the point at which useful energy and power outputs can be achieved with sufficiently high efficiency and reliability to make some applications practical. The emphasis here is on industrial and medical applications, as opposed to the many present and potential military applications. Despite the progress made during the past few years, much more research and development will be required before the full potential of lasers is realized.