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Catalog Data

Maker:
Sony Corporation  Search this
Physical Description:
metal (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 1.5 cm x 8.8 cm x 12 cm; 9/16 in x 3 7/16 in x 4 3/4 in
Object Name:
laser assembly
Other Terms:
laser assembly; Lasers and Masers
Date made:
1983
1984
Description:
As scientists and engineers came to better understand lasers, they developed a multitude of uses for this light source. The development of Compact Discs (CDs) and Digital Video Discs (DVDs) revolutionized the audio and video recording industries. Lasers are essential in making and playing both types of discs. Scientists refer to laser light as "highly coherent," meaning that the photons stay tightly focused rather than spreading out like the light from a flashlight. Coherent light can be focused on a very small spot. The pits on CDs and DVDs are microscopic.
This is the laser assembly from a Sony model D-5 "Discman" portable CD player. Donated in 1985, it shows how small lasers had become only 25 years after their invention. This object also shows the dramatic decrease in the amount of power needed to operate a laser. The power supply for Theodore Maiman's 1960 ruby laser is about 6 feet tall by 2 feet square and weights about 500 pounds. By contrast, the Sony "Discman" weighed less than 1 pound and operated on AA batteries.
Location:
Currently not on view
Subject:
Laser  Search this
Entertainment, general  Search this
Credit Line:
from Sony Consumer Products Company
ID Number:
1985.0387.01
Accession number:
1985.0387
Catalog number:
1985.0387.01
Model number:
D-5
See more items in:
Work and Industry: Electricity
Energy & Power
Lasers
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-4edc-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_713880