Part of the Sloan Technology Series, City of Light is a history of the development
of fiber optic technology, explaining the scientific challenges that
needed to be overcome, the range of applications and future potential
for this fundamental communications technology. The author has followed
and reported the development closely for the past 20 years, preparing him to write the definitive history of a field that had led to Nobel Prizes for two of the scientists involved, Charles Kao and Zhores Alferov.
- Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction: Building a City of
Light
- 2. Guiding Light and Luminous Fountains (1841-1890)
- 3. Fibers of
Glass
- 4. The Quest for Remote Viewing: Television and the Legacy of
Sword Swallowers (1895-1940)
- 5. A Critical Insight: The Birth of the
Clad Optical Fiber (1950-1955)
- 6. 99 Percent Perspiration: The Birth of
an Industry (1954-1960)
- 7. A Vision of the Future: Communicating with
Light (1880-1960)
- 8. The Laser Stimulates the Emission of New Ideas
(1960-1969)
- 9. "The Only Thing Left Is Optical Fibers" (1960-1969)
- 10.
Trying to Sell a Dream (1965-1970)
- 11. Breakthrough: The Clearest Glass
in the World (1966-1972)
- 12. Recipes for Grains of Salt: The
Semiconductor Laser (1962-1977)
- 13. A Demonstration for the Queen
(1970-1975)
- 14. Three Generations in Five Years (1975-1983)
- 15.
Submarine Cables: Covering the Ocean Floor with Glass (1970-1995)
- 16.
The Last Mile: An Elusive Vision
- 17. Reflections on the City of Light
- Appendix A. Dramatis Personae: Cast of Characters
- Appendix B. A
Fiber-Optic Chronology