Using a precisely aligned pair of laser beams, scientists can now hold a single aerosol particle in place and monitor how it charges up. The particle’s glow signals each step in its changing ...

There are several ways to "trap" a beam of light -- usually with mirrors, other reflective surfaces, or high-tech materials such as photonic crystals. But now researchers have discovered a new method ...

Laser technology as we know it was first realized in 1951 when Charles Townes envisaged the concept of microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (MASER) on a park bench in Washington ...