This paper discusses various types of lasers and several applications for lasers which are most promising. The fundamental principles of laser action are explained in terms of fluorescent processes in certain materials, and the concepts of optical amplification and oscillation are developed. The properties of lasers are presented, and over 50 active laser materials are tabulated. Applications in many fields, such as micromachining, microwelding, photography, communications, optical ranging, metrology, chemistry, biological sciences, and others, are discussed.
