Physics Lecture

Dec 3, 1969

Physics lecture to explore

future laser development

Dr. Richard Gudmundscn, manager of the Laser and Electronics Department at Autonetics, Fullerton, will preview the future of the laser in the realm of communications today at noon in a talk for the freshman physics seminar in PE164. "Lasers, Systems and Communications" will be the topic of his talk.

Dr. Gudmundsen is well known for his contribution in the field of semiconductors and quantum electronics. He was director of Quantatron where the first laser systems were built. Gudmunsen received his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D from the University of Southern California. Originally, he was connected with Hughes Aircraft in semiconductor device work.

According to Dr. Gudmundsen, his talk will begin with a brief description of the laser itself and how it functions. He feels that much has been said about the laser itself but little attention has been placed on its current uses and the possibilities of its use in the future. Gudmundsen has been a worker in the field of electroptics and lasers for over ten years. He is manager of the research division that is employed in the research and development of systems used in the military. The research department is responsible for study of the use and effect of instruments prior to their engineering.

He said that he will emphasize among other topics the use of laser radar. Gudmundsen explained, for example, the enormous potential of the laser for use as a communication medium. "Say for example that you want to transmit some information from a point in Africa to a point in the United States. You have available to you several methods, undersea cable, shortwave radio, or the stationary satellites now stationed around the globe. "Each is measured by the width of its band, how many bits oí in- formation it can transmit per second. A telephone system can transmit 2 to 3 million bits per second. A laser is capable of 2 to 3 billion, or 1,000 times more in- formation. This is only a sample of the laser's potential.”