Guiding light Javan was born in Tehran, the capital of Iran, but moved to the USA after World War II. He earned a PhD in physics from Columbia University in 1954. Years of study and research resulted in his invention of the world’s first GAS LASER in 1960. This instrument carries an electric current through a gas to produce a strong light. Javan’s gas laser was the first laser to generate a constant beam of light.
Ali Javan
The LEADING LIGHT whose invention shone across all areas of science
Javan’s gas laser
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Javan was awarded the Frederic Ives Medal in 1975.
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Javan was a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology until the end of his career. He made major breakthroughs in different fields of physics, and established the USA’s FIRST RESEARCH BASE for laser technology. A lifetime with lasers resulted in many awards, including entry in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.
