Read article: Making rain with lasers Lasers Research update Making rain with lasers Ultra-intense laser beam found to induce cloud formation
Read article: And then there was light Lasers Feature And then there was light Pauline Rigby describes how a then little-known scientist became the first person to design and build a working laser
Read article: The first 50 years of the laser – and the next 50 Lasers Video The first 50 years of the laser – and the next 50 The laser at 50: physicists will have a defining role to play in the next 50 years of the laser, says Tom Baer
Read article: Medical lasers: diagnose, treat, cure Lasers Video Medical lasers: diagnose, treat, cure The laser at 50: the laser is a major force in medicine and one that's set to play a pivotal role in the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage disease, says Brian Pog...
Read article: The next big thing in laser manufacturing Lasers Video The next big thing in laser manufacturing The laser at 50: the ultrafast fibre laser has a bright future in manufacturing, explains Andreas Tünnermann
Read article: Space-based lasers: the final frontier? Telescopes and space missions Video Space-based lasers: the final frontier? The laser at 50: what can you do with a laser in space that you can't do on the ground? Narasimha Prasad sheds some light
Read article: From ray-gun to Blu-ray Lasers Feature From ray-gun to Blu-ray Fifty years after their invention, Sidney Perkowitz examines the huge impact of lasers on science, culture and everyday life
Read article: Where next for the laser? Lasers Feature Where next for the laser? Six laser experts recall how the laser has advanced their fields of interest – and speculate where it will take these areas next
Read article: Fusion’s bright new dawn Nuclear fusion Feature Fusion’s bright new dawn The world's largest laser could transform the search for abundant, carbon-free electricity, as Mike Dunne explains
Read article: Combing makes for neat qubits Ultrafast science Research update Combing makes for neat qubits Frequency comb entangles two atomic qubits
Optics & Photonics Briefing This issue explores lasers and detectors, solar power, medical imaging and high-resolution displays