Title:
Lasers, death rays, and the long, strange quest for the ultimate weapon / Jeff Hecht.
Author:
Hecht, Jeff, author.
Publication Information:
Amherst, New York : Prometheus Books, 2019.
Call Number:
UG486 .H434 2019
Abstract:
The laser--a milestone invention of the mid-twentieth century--quickly captured the imagination of the Pentagon as the key to the ultimate weapon. Veteran science writer Jeff Hecht tells the inside story of the adventures and misadventures of scientists and military strategists as they exerted herculean though often futile efforts to adapt the laser for military uses. From the 1950s' sci-fi vision of the "death ray," through the Reagan administration's "Star Wars" missile defense system, to more promising developments today, Hecht provides an entertaining history.
ISBN:
9781633884601
Physical Description:
295 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
General Note:
Includes index.
Contents:
Death rays: from thunder gods to mad scientists -- How the Pentagon almost invented the laser -- The incredible rocket-engine laser -- Space lasers on the high frontier -- The "Star Wars" wars -- The airborne laser gets off the ground -- Back to the battlefield against insurgents -- Laser weapons go solid-state -- The quest for the ultimate weapon.
Personal Author:
