From G. Marconi to Charles K. Kao: Photonics R and D and the global broadband transformation in the 21st century

Year 2010 is a very special year in photonics. This year is the 50
^th
anniversary of the invention of LASER, Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, and the 40
^th
anniversary of the optical fiber communications. Over the ~ 5000 years of human history, the last 50 years is uniquely special in the sense that the world has seen the dramatic transformation of the human's ability to communicate and distribute and search information. The combined advances in microelectronics and photonics have now permeated in every aspect of human life and the societies around the world, and transformed the communications and the “infotainment” media.