Historical contribution
What Kao contributed
In 1966 Kao and George Hockham argued that the severe loss in contemporary glass fibres came mainly from impurities rather than an unavoidable physical limit. They identified a target for glass purity that manufacturers could pursue.
Why it mattered
The work redirected research toward low-loss fibres and helped enable high-capacity optical networks, submarine cables and the modern Internet’s physical backbone.
Connected topics
Where this fits in ITEM
Evidence
Sources and further reading
- Dielectric-Fibre Surface Waveguides for Optical Frequencies, Proceedings of the IEE, 1966
K. C. Kao, G. A. Hockham · 1966