All Interviews

Audio clips and transcripts

Robert Dicke

Dicke recalls patenting his idea

Peter Franken

Franken recalls hearing Gould’s exciting ideas

Franken recalls how the laser discoveries excited physicists

Transcript: read the complete interview

Gordon Gould

Gould recalls his creative moment

Ali Javan

Javan comments on credit for discoveries

Javan recalls starting work on a gas laser

Arthur Schawlow

Schawlow recalls how Rabi inspired him to make discoveries

Schawlow recalls how he set off to make a ruby laser

Transcript: read the complete interview

Charles Townes

Townes recalls how physicists' war work brought postwar research funding

Townes recalls why Professor Rabi supported his work at Columbia

Townes recalls the day he invented the maser

Transcript: read the complete interview

More transcripts

N.G. Basov — Russian Nobelist

Irnee d'Haenens — Maiman's laser

W.E. Lamb — quantum theory of lasers

Rolf Landauer — IBM team

Elias Snitzer — neodymium-glass laser

Charles Townes — another interview, 1984

Videos

Charles Townes recalls his invention of the maser (opens in new window)

Theodore Maiman explains the first laser (opens in new window)