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City of Light tells the story of
fiber optics, tracing its transformation from 19th-century
parlor trick into the foundation of our global communications
network. Written for a broad audience by a journalist who
has covered the field for twenty years, the books is a lively
account of both the people and the ideas behind this revolutionary
technology.
The basic concept underlying fiber optics
was first explored in the 1840s when researchers used jets
of water to guide light laboratory demonstrations. The idea
caught the public eye decades later when it was used to
create stunning illuminated fountains at many of the great
Victorian exhibitions. The modem version of fiber optics
-- using flexible glass fibers to transmit light -- was
discovered independently five times through the first half
of the century and one of its first key applications was
the endoscope, which for the first time allowed physicians
to look inside the body without surgery. Endoscopes became
practical in 1956 when a college undergraduate discovered
how to make solid glass fibers with a glass cladding.
With the invention of the laser, researchers
grew interested in optical communications. While Bell Labs
and others tried to send laser beams through the atmosphere
or hollow light pipes, a small group at Standard Telecommunication
Laboratories looked at guiding light by transparent fibers.
Led by Charles K. Lao, they proposed the idea of fiber-optic
communications and demonstrated that, contrary to what many
researchers thought, glass could be made clear enough to
transmit light over great distances. Following these ideas,
Corning Glass Works developed the first low-loss glass fibers
in 1970.
From this point fiber-optic communications
developed rapidly. The first experimental phone links were
tested on live telephone traffic in 1977 and within half
a dozen years long-distance companies were laying fiber
cables for their national backbone systems. In 1988, the
first transatlantic fiber-optic cable connected Europe with
North America, and now fiber optics are the key element
in global communications.
The story continues today as fiber optics
spread through the communication grid that connects homes
and offices, creating huge information pipelines and replacing
copper wires. The book concludes with a look at some of
the exciting potential developments of this technology.
Jeff Hecht has covered fiber-optic technology
for over 20 years. Trained as an engineer, he now writes
about science and technology, covering topics from optics
to paleontology in books and for the British weekly New
Scientist.
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