The scientists believe that lasers have had a deep impact on everyday lives of people but the potential of the technology has only just been tapped. On this Sunday falls the 50th anniversary of the first demonstration of a ruby laser at the Hughes Research Labs in the US.

These light beams have been used in various fields, like scanning shop prices or sensing the ripples in space-time made by colliding black holes. The future generations will witness even more remarkable progress.

David Hanna, emeritus professor at the Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, said,” The laser gave a capability over previous light sources that was just so immense that you simply can't digest and exhaust all that in the matter of a few decades”. He added that many amazing things can be done with all that capability.

Theodore Maiman's achievement in invigorating a ruby rod to create an intense narrow beam of light by shining a flash lamp on was an indubitable landmark. A world of possibilities was opened as the ability of laser to direct a powerful stream of energy from one location to another was revealed. Lasers are being used in different types. The person who scans a tin of beans at the checkout is using a laser. An individual who listens to music on a CD is using a laser to read data stored on a disc.