Nikolay Basov explained to kids

Nikolay Basov was a Soviet physicist who was born on December 16, 1922. He was best known for his work on lasers and masers. He also did important work on the development of the atomic bomb. Basov graduated from Moscow State University in 1947. He began working at the Institute of Physics in Moscow, where he did most of his important work. In 1954, he and his colleague Aleksandr Prokhorov developed the maser, which was a very early type of laser. This work earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964. Basov and Prokhorov also did important work on the development of the atomic bomb. In the early 1950s, they helped develop a method for enriching uranium, which is necessary for making atomic bombs. Basov continued to work on lasers and masers after winning the Nobel Prize. He developed a type of laser that could be used in surgery. He also did important work on the development of fiber optics. Basov died on July 1, 2001, at the age of 78.