Alan David White (1923 — 9 May 2020) was an American physicist, known primarily as one of the inventors of the visible helium-neon laser.
After completing his military service during World War II, White graduated due to the G.I.
[1] The first gas laser, using a mixture of helium and neon, was demonstrated in 1960 and emitted radiation at a wavelength of 1.15 μm (infrared range).
[2] Two years later, White, together with Dane Rigden, showed that a helium-neon laser can emit radiation at a wavelength of 632.8 nm, i.e., in the visible range of the spectrum.
[6] The first continuous-wave visible laser, invented by White and Rigden, is still widely used in research and education, and is a part of various instruments.