Laser: sixty years of advancement

In 1953,microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation(maser)was demonstrated.It took another seven painstaking years to achieve light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation(laser),and the world has changed.Without laser,not only would this journal not exist,but many experiences which we take for granted in everyday life-from supermarket checkout to downloading movies-would not be here.The impact of lasers on each and every research field cannot be exaggerated.