Gordon Gould
Physicist who fought thirty years for laser patents.
Richard Gordon Gould (July 17, 1920 – September 16, 2005) was an American physicist whose name is sometimes brought up in debates over who invented the laser and the optical amplifier. (The invention is disputed because Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow published the theory first, and Theodore Maiman built the first working device.) Gould is most famous for spending three decades battling the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to get patents on the laser and related technologies, and then fighting laser manufacturers in court to enforce those patents once he got them.
Gould was born in New York City in 1920, the oldest of three boys. His father was the founding editor of Scholastic Magazine Publications, and his mother encouraged his interest in inventors like Thomas Edison by giving him an Erector set. He grew up in Scarsdale, New York, went to Scarsdale High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Union College, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. He then got a master’s from Yale, focusing on optics and spectroscopy. From March 1944 to January 1945, he worked on the Manhattan Project but was let go because of his membership in the Communist Political Association. In 1949, he started a doctorate at Columbia University in optical and microwave spectroscopy under Nobel laureate Polykarp Kusch, who helped him become an expert in the new technique of optical pumping. In 1956, Gould suggested using optical pumping to excite a maser and talked it over with Charles Townes, the maser’s inventor and a Columbia professor. Townes advised him on how to patent the idea and agreed to serve as a witness.
By November 1957, Gould realized that a Fabry–Pérot interferometer—two mirrors—could serve as an optical resonator for visible light, producing a narrow, coherent, intense beam. Unlike earlier designs, the sides of the cavity didn’t need to be reflective, making it easy to optically pump the gain medium to achieve population inversion. He also considered pumping via atomic collisions and imagined many uses for the device. He wrote his analysis and applications in a lab notebook under the heading “Some rough calculations on the feasibility of a LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”—the first known use of that acronym. His notebook was the first written plan for a working laser, and he got it notarized at a neighborhood store.
- born
- July 17, 1920
- died
- September 16, 2005
- field
- Physics
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Disputed invention of the laser; thirty-year patent battle for laser and optical amplifier patents
Lore & Background
Gould was born in New York City in 1920, the oldest of three sons. His father was the founding editor of Scholastic Magazine Publications, and his mother encouraged his interest in inventors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in physics at Union College and a master's degree at Yale University, specializing in optics and spectroscopy. Between March 1944 and January 1945 he worked on the Manhattan Project but was dismissed due to his activities as a member of the Communist Political Association. In 1949 he went to Columbia University to work on a doctorate under Nobel laureate Polykarp Kusch, developing expertise in optical pumping.
In November 1957, Gould realized that a Fabry–Pérot interferometer could produce a narrow, coherent, intense beam, and recorded his analysis in a laboratory notebook under the heading 'LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation'—the first recorded use of that acronym. He had the notebook notarized. He left Columbia without completing his doctorate and joined TRG (Technical Research Group) to pursue a patent. Because the government classified the project, Gould could not obtain a security clearance due to his communist activities, and TRG was beaten in the race to build the first working laser by Theodore Maiman.
Gould and TRG began applying for patents in April 1959, covering lasers based on Fabry–Pérot resonators, optical pumping, and many applications. Schawlow and Townes had applied for a laser patent in July 1958, which was granted in 1960. Gould lost the battle for the U.S. patent on the laser itself, primarily because his notebook did not explicitly state that the sidewalls of the laser medium were to be transparent. He obtained patents in several other countries and continued fighting for U.S. patents on specific laser technologies.
Reader's Guide
Gordon Gould's significance lies in his early and detailed conception of the laser, recorded in his 1957 notebook, and his decades-long legal struggle to secure patent recognition for his innovations. Although he is sometimes credited with inventing the laser, the historical record notes that Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow first published the theory, and Theodore Maiman built the first working laser. Gould's persistence reshaped the patent landscape for laser technology: after many losses, he shifted focus to the optical amplifier and was awarded key patents in 1977 and 1979, covering optically pumped laser amplifiers and a wide range of laser applications. These patents forced the growing laser industry to pay royalties, sparking further court battles. Gould's career—from the Manhattan Project to founding Optelecom—illustrates the interplay between scientific creativity, national security restrictions, and intellectual property law. His legacy is a contested but influential role in the development and commercialization of laser technology.
Did You Know?
- Gould coined the acronym LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) in his 1957 notebook.
- He was dismissed from the Manhattan Project due to his membership in the Communist Political Association.
- Gould's first laser patent, awarded in 1968, covered generating X-rays using a laser—a technology of little value.
- He bought back his patent rights from Control Data Corporation for a thousand dollars plus a small fraction of future profits.
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