It is indisputable that the laser triggered a spectacular reactivation in numerous areas of optics and gave rise to others such as optoelectronics, non-linear optics or optical communications. However, this situation changed dramatically thanks to the laser which led to a vigorous development of optics.
At that time, the most prestigious journals were full of scientific papers from other branches of physics.
Around 1950 “optics was widely considered a somewhat dull discipline with a great past, but without prospects of a great future” ( Kragh, 2002). However, the laser is of great importance not only due to its numerous scientific and commercial applications or the fact that it is the essential tool in various state-of-the-art technologies but also because it was a key factor in the boom experienced by optics in the second half of the last century. Lasers also have a range of important biomedical applications for example they are used to correct myopia, treat certain tumours and even whiten teeth, not to mention the beauty clinics that continually bombard us with advertisements for laser depilation, which has become so popular nowadays.
CD, DVD and Blu-ray players, laser printers, barcode readers, and fibre-optic communication systems that connect to the worldwide web and Internet are just a few of the many examples of laser applications in our daily life. This date is therefore of great importance not only for those of us who carry out research in the field of optics and other scientific fields, but also for the general public who use laser devices in their daily lives. Maiman with his new laser device in New York (July 7th, 1960).