The laser

This article is intended as a review of the field of optical masers, or lasers as they have come to be known, summarizing both theory and practice. It starts with a theoretical section in which black body radiation theory is used to introduce the concepts of spontaneous and induced transitions. This is followed by the derivation of the Schawlow-Townes instability (start-oscillation) condition and a description of the different laser media. Other topics treated include: optical pumping, experimental techniques, output power and noise. The sections on optical resonators and communications which conclude the paper have been slightly emphasized since, perhaps to a larger extent than the other topics covered in this paper, they coincide with traditional areas of interest of microwave and communications engineers.