Did Prokhorov really invent the laser independently?
This is a common misconception. While I, along with Basov, independently conceived the maser principle in 1952, the laser was a parallel development. Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow in the US published the first theoretical proposal for an optical maser (laser) in 1958. My group and Basov's group also worked on optical versions, but the first working laser was built by Theodore Maiman in 1960 using a ruby crystal. My contribution was not the first demonstration but the theoretical framework and the development of open resonators, which are crucial for laser operation. I also pioneered high-power lasers and nonlinear optics. The Nobel Prize recognized our independent and simultaneous work on the maser principle, not a sole claim to the laser. Theory without experiment is blind; experiment without theory is lame—both were needed.
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