Audio tapes and original transcripts of ten interviews conducted by Jeff Hecht with pioneers of laser and laser applications research. Pioneers of laser research: Nicolaas Bloembergen, Gordon Gould (two interviews), Robert N. Hall, Ali Javan, Dennis Matthews, C. Kumar N. Patel, William Silvast, and Peter Sorokin. Pioneers of laser applications research: Emmet Leith and Francis L'Esperance. Topics include: background and education of all interviewees; nuclear magnetic resonance, nonlinear optics, spectroscopy, laser applications, American Physical Society Report on Directed Energy Weapons (Bloembergen); patents, optical communications, copper-vapor lasers, mercury-vapor lasers (Gould); semiconductor lasers, General Electric (Hall); synthetic aperture radar, Willow Run Laboratory, optical signal processing, holography, optical computing (Leith); Bell Laboratories, molecular lasers, spin-flip Raman lasers, atmospheric pollutants, spectroscopy, ozone depletion, American Physical Society Study on Directed Energy Weapons (Patel); Radio Corporation of America, helium-neon laser, classical oscillators at optical frequencies (Javan); opthamology, laser photocoagulation, diabetic retinopathy (L'Esperance); soft x-ray laser, Nova Fusion Laser, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Matthews); University of Utah, metal-vapor lasers, short-wavelength lasers, helium cadmium laser, Bell Labs (Silvast); Maiman's first laser, dye lasers, two photon lasers, and spectroscopy (Sorokin).

The collection also includes 23 issues of the journal Lasers and Applications (1985-86), containing a series of oral history interviews with researchers involved in the discovery and development of different types of lasers done in commemoration of the 25th anniversary (1985) of the first operation of the laser. Interviewees include: Nicolaas Bloembergen, William Bridges, J. J. Ewing, Gordon Gould, Robert Hall, Ralph Jacobs, Ali Javan, John Madey, Ted Maiman, C. K. N. Patel, William Silfvast, Arthur Schawlow, Peter Sorokin, Charles H. Townes. In 1986 the magazine featured a series of interviews with laser applications pioneers. Interviewees included are: Sidney Charschan, Evan Dryer, Arthur H. Guenther, Theodor W. Hansch, Al Hildebrand, Charles K. Kao, Narinder Kapany, Larry Larson, Emmett Leith, Francis L'Esperance.