Maser
device · 1954 · Digital age
The microwave forerunner of the laser.
Inventors: Charles Hard Townes, James Power Gordon, Herbert Zeiger.
What it is made of
- Maser resonant cavity — has part. A cavity tuned to the transition frequency.
- Electrostatic state selector — has part. It selects the excited molecules.
Principles and materials it uses
- Stimulated emission — uses. The same principle in microwaves.
- Ammonia — is made of. The first maser ran on ammonia.
- Copper — is made of. The resonator is copper.
- Ammonia — uses. The working substance.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Laser — evolved into. A laser is an optical maser.