Audiobook8 hours
How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist
Written by Charles H. Townes
Narrated by Keith Sellon-Wright
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
In How the Laser Happened, Nobel laureate Charles Townes provides a highly personal look at some of the leading events in twentieth-century physics. Townes was inventor of the maser, of which the laser is one example; an originator of spectroscopy using microwaves; and a pioneer in the study of gas clouds in galaxies and around stars. Throughout his career he has also been deeply engaged with issues outside of academic research. He worked on applied research projects for Bell Labs; served on the board of directors for General Motors; and devoted extensive effort to advising the government on science, policy, and defense.
This memoir traces his multifaceted career from its beginnings on the family farm in South Carolina. Spanning decades of ground-breaking research, the book provides a hands-on description of how working scientists and inventors get their ideas. It also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the scientific community, showing how scientists respond to new ideas and how they approach a variety of issues, from priority and patents to the social and political implications of their work. In addition, Townes touches on the sociology of science, uncovering some of the traditions and values that are invisible to an outsider.
A towering and energetic figure, Townes has explored or pioneered most of the roles available to the modern scientist. In addition to fundamental research, he was actively involved in the practical uses of the laser and in the court cases to defend the patent rights. He was a founding member of the Jasons, an influential group of scientists that independently advises the government on defense policy, and he played an active part in scientific decisions and policies from the Truman through the Reagan administration. This lively memoir, packed with first-hand accounts and historical anecdotes, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of science and an inspiring example for students considering scientific careers.
This memoir traces his multifaceted career from its beginnings on the family farm in South Carolina. Spanning decades of ground-breaking research, the book provides a hands-on description of how working scientists and inventors get their ideas. It also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the scientific community, showing how scientists respond to new ideas and how they approach a variety of issues, from priority and patents to the social and political implications of their work. In addition, Townes touches on the sociology of science, uncovering some of the traditions and values that are invisible to an outsider.
A towering and energetic figure, Townes has explored or pioneered most of the roles available to the modern scientist. In addition to fundamental research, he was actively involved in the practical uses of the laser and in the court cases to defend the patent rights. He was a founding member of the Jasons, an influential group of scientists that independently advises the government on defense policy, and he played an active part in scientific decisions and policies from the Truman through the Reagan administration. This lively memoir, packed with first-hand accounts and historical anecdotes, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of science and an inspiring example for students considering scientific careers.
Related to How the Laser Happened
Related audiobooks
Conquering the Electron: The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magicians: Great Minds and the Central Miracle of Science Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How We'll Live on Mars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Holes and Super Gravity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics: A Math-Free Exploration of the Science That Made Our World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How It Began: A Time-Traveler's Guide to the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gravitational Waves: How Einstein's spacetime ripples reveal the secrets of the universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Origin of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Matter Theory Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuantum Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDark Matter & Dark Energy: The Hidden 95% of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Calculating the Cosmos: How Mathematics Unveils the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Astrophysics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lightness Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature's Creative Ability to Order the Universe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Universe: Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Personal Memoirs For You
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Mormon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Summer of Fall: Gravity is a bitch, but I'm still standing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Stay Married Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love, Lucy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for How the Laser Happened
Rating: 3.9000000200000002 out of 5 stars
4/5
5 ratings0 reviews