The CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), with the rest of the world, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the invention of laser, the acronym used for the phenomenon of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

May 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the first flash of laser beam ignited.

The head of the CSIR National Laser Centre, Dr Ndumiso Cingo, says, Little could it have been predicted that the laser would have such an impact on the way we do things, from enabling CD and DVD-players, to modern fibre-optic communications.

This year is the 50th year since the first demonstration of laser and so much has happened in these short 50 years, he continues. While the 20th century was dubbed the century of the electron with the electronics revolution; the 21st century is being touted as the century of the photon with the photonics revolution in which the laser is a key enabling technology.

Lasers join and separate, lasers heal, lasers transmit information and the list of applications goes on.

Dr Cingo says South Africa has a long history in laser research. The CSIR in particular has been involved in laser research for many years and this led to the inception of its laser centre ten years ago.

The CSIR will be celebrating both the 10th anniversary of the National Laser Centre and the 50th anniversary of the discovery of laser this year, he says. Celebrations will culminate in the hosting of the South African Institute of Physics conference later in the year.

Another noteworthy development in the field in South Africa, according to Dr Cingo, is the recent approval of the National Photonics Strategy, called PISA, by the Department of Science and Technology. This promises to be a tool that will position South Africa as a global competitor in photonics, he says. The CSIR, together with partners in academia, the research councils, the government and the industry, is very excited by the prospects for the development of a vibrant, globally competitive industry that this strategy holds.

Dr Cingo says the future of the CSIR National Laser Centre beyond the first 10 years is looking very bright - pun intended and that the PISA initiative will take the centre to even greater heights in years to come.