Lasers were nicknamed as "solutions seeking problems" when the concept was first demonstrated. Nobody was sure about their potential and projected use, as is the case with the novel results of any basic research. It may be decades before the significance of a discovery finds fruitful commercial application that contributes to our economic health and prosperity. But once lasers were launched from a laboratory curiosity into the commercial orbit, they proved to be an essential component of many appliances and processes.
Masers preceded lasers. In essence, a maser is an amplification process for electromagnetic radiation. The process was first demonstrated by Townes in the microwave region, who later predicted the possibility of realizing this effect in the more common visible region. Initially named "optical masers," they were christened as lasers by Gordon Gould. Maser is an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, and laser thus became light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.