Joseph Weber

A physicist, Weber is credited with discovering the principle behind the operation of lasers and masers (essentially, microwave lasers), and was the first to speak of them in public -- in 1952. But fame eluded him: the 1964 Nobel Prize for lasers went to three others. Weber quickly realized lasers might be useful in proving Einstein's theory of gravitational waves. Despite years of research, he was never able to detect a gravitational wave, but the most powerful laser experiment for that purpose is still currently being built. "He is regarded universally as the father of this field of gravitational wave detection," said Dr. Kip Thorne, a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech. Weber died September 30 in Pittsburgh from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 81. From This is True for 8 October 2000 Suggestions for further reading: How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist by Charles H. Townes Amazon Price: $22.50 Customer Review: This book describes the history of the laser and how it was invented (and how it was almost NOT invented). The author was ridiculed by the scientific authorities of the day for daring to suggest that such a device was possible, and for wasting time o...   Introduction to Lasers and Masers by Anthony E. Siegman Amazon Price:   Maser and Laser Engineering by Thomas Koryu Ishii Amazon Price: $34.50   The investigation of the use of nuclear radiation in the preparation of optic... by Henry Sadowski Amazon Price:   Introduction to Lasers and Masers. by Allan Lytel Amazon Price:   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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