Laser

This is the first laser owned and used by the Grinnell College Physics Department. It is a helium-neon laser, and the gas inside the tube was excited by a radio-frequency field produced by an oscillator. This laser was purchased by Bob Noyce, who experimented with it for a short time and then brought it, carried on his lap on the airplane, to Grinnell and presented it to the Physics Department. The orange plastic cover is lying behind the instrument.

op_011

Optics