Timeline – Pre 1970

Lubin Initiates Laser–Matter Interaction Studies
University of Rochester Assistant Professor Moshe J. Lubin initiates laser–matter interaction studies using ruby, and Nd:glass lasers. Eastman Kodak Company abandons their medical laser line and Lubin obtains surplus Kodak lasers and electronics.

Early Lasers
The earliest lasers at the University of Rochester emphasized short-pulse (<100-ps) capability.

ALPHA Laser
The ALPHA Laser operated in the Hopeman Engineering Building on the University of Rochester River Campus for several years.

Nd:Glass Disk Amplifier
Many different types and sizes of Nd:glass rod amplifiers were developed and tested in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first Rochester Nd:glass disk amplifier was built under a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contract.

Q-Machine
Early Rochester experiments emphasized a variety of different laser–plasma applications.

Laser Fusion
Laser fusion became a focus of the Rochester work in the late 1960s. Classified meetings were held at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) including participation by R. Kidder, J. Nuckolls, J. Dawson, and M. Lubin.