Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon

Hecht, a contributing editor to Laser Focus World magazine, charts the extensive, convoluted history of the laser, focusing on the American government’s long quest to exploit it militarily. Hecht first explores the early 20th-century fascination with the idea of weapons created out of light, citing the first science fiction representations of fantastical “death rays.” He then profiles the post-WWII pioneers who developed aspects of the earliest working lasers, including Gordon Gould, Theodore Maiman, and Charles Townes, highlighting the intense rivalries and relationships that developed between them. From there, Hecht moves chronologically through various U.S. military projects, for example, the pursuit of an airborne laser aboard a converted Boeing 747, Ronald Reagan’s proposed “Star Wars” antinuclear defensive system, and the mobile lasers now used against rockets and other bombs on the front lines of war. Throughout, Hecht attempts to describe the dense scientific processes in simple prose and even provides some helpful diagrams, but the complexity of the various laser technologies, in conjunction with the competing scientist personalities and governmental programs, can cause the narrative to lag. This book should be appreciated by Cold War aficionados and science enthusiasts alike, but may be too heavy for the average history fan. Agent: Laura Wood, FinePrint Literary Management. (Jan.)