Abstract
Technological breakthroughs in physics are often adapted and incorporated into the ever growing field of otolaryngology. When first discovered, “The Incredible Laser” had promised to be science’s new “Aladdin’s lamp”, it can “light up the moon”, “kill instantly”, or “perform miracle surgery” [1]. Although not quite fulfilling these roles, laser technology has been a key element in the development of endolaryngeal surgery. This article looks at the invention of Laser and it’s progression into an invaluable tool in the field of laryngeal surgery.
Highlights
Albert Einstein propelled the theoretical foundation for the development of this landmark invention in 1916 when he proposed that photons could stimulate emission of identical photons from excited atoms [1]
Stimulated emission is where a photon interacts with an excited molecule or atom and causes the emission of a second photon having the same frequency, phase, polarization and direction. This theory has been fundamental in the development of laser technology
Further to its growing use in laryngology, laser surgery has developed in other areas of otolaryngology
Summary
Albert Einstein propelled the theoretical foundation for the development of this landmark invention in 1916 when he proposed that photons could stimulate emission of identical photons from excited atoms [1]. Stimulated emission is where a photon interacts with an excited molecule or atom and causes the emission of a second photon having the same frequency, phase, polarization and direction This theory has been fundamental in the development of laser technology. In 1940, the Russian physicist Valentin Fabrikant proposed that stimulated emission in a gas discharge may amplify light under specific conditions [1] It was not until after the end of World War II when research into laser technology benefitted greatly from corporate and government investments into technological progress during the cold war era. Soon after Maiman built the first laser, his assistant joked that the laser was “a solution looking for a problem.” This contained some truth to it, as the laser was not a device invented to fill specific application requirement.
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