Physics Colloquium The Fiber Optics Revolution

Charles Kao was awarded half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for “groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication”. This is truly a very apt recognition of an area which has touched almost everyone. Production of low loss optical fibers, availability of semiconductor lasers (which could be operated at room temperatures) and development of Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers have created a revolution in communication making phone calls and video conferencing almost free. In addition, Fiber Lasers and Fiber Bragg Gratings find widespread applications in many diverse areas including strategic defense applications. This talk will briefly describe some of the important developments in the general area of Fiber Optics.

SpeakerProf. Ajoy Ghatak, FNASc, FOSA

Megh Nad Saha Professor, The National Academy of Sciences, India Prof. Ajoy Ghatak is well known for his seminal role in the development of fiber optics and guided wave photonics and for pioneering optics education in India. He has authored several books including his undergraduate text on OPTICS which has been translated to Chinese and Persian. He is recipient of the SPIE Educator award (2008), Esther Hoffman Beller award, instituted by OSA (2003), International Commission for Optics 1998 Galileo Galilei award, OSA 2020 Sang Soo Lee award, and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Physical Sciences (1979)

Date & Time: November 25, 2020 (Wednesday), 4:30PMWebEx link Meeting Number: 158 688 5782, Password: phys_col2