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When did Theodore Maiman produce the first laser beam?
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laser
Basic laser components.
Theodore Maiman successfully produced the first laser beam on May 16, 1960.1
Working at Hughes Research Laboratories, Maiman utilized a unique approach by using a photographer’s flash lamp to excite chromium atoms within a synthetic ruby crystal. This process resulted in the emission of red light pulses from a ruby rod approximately the size of a fingertip, marking the first time the principle of stimulated emission was successfully applied to generate visible light.12