Modren Communication Fiber optic

The internet, cell phones, fax machines and pagers are a way of life in modern society. All these technologies rely on lasers and fiber optics. The principle behind a laser lies embedded in the heart of quantum mechanics. Einstein built on the theory of quantum mechanics to explain the photoelectric effect in 1905 and showed that electrons could absorb and emit the energy of photons. In 1917, he went on to discover that this emission could be “focused” so that it occurs at a single frequency. This is known as “stimulated emission”. Scientists applied this principle in the mid-1950s to stimulate emission of microwaves using a device called a maser. They then applied the same principle to visible light and used the term laser for this device. However, they could not produce a steady laser light, which was necessary for practical applications
Research on semiconductors led to the development of semiconductor lasers. By the late 1960s, researchers had devised a method to operate lasers continuously at room temperatures using layers of semiconductors. Now they needed to find a method to transmit light across large distances (see Semiconductor Lasers). Although scientists knew that glass fibers could carry light over short distances, it was not a very efficient process. Theoretical work showing that light loss in glass fibers could be decreased dramatically spurred experimental efforts to produce such fibers. Researchers continued exploring techniques to decrease light loss in optical fibers. It then became possible to take fiber-optic communication out of the laboratory and into everyday life. Meanwhile, scientists continued improving laser technology and by the late 1970s, commercial use of fiber-optic systems had begun
As fiber optic cables began to be used world-wide, basic research continued to yield improvements in the systems. Yet more possibilities for improvement in high-speed data lines are available and looming on the horizon