Charles K. Kao
The Honorable Sir Charles Kuen Kao, GBM,[3] KBE,[4] FRS,[5] FREng[6] (November 4, 1933 – September 23, 2018) was a Chinese-born American and British electrical engineer and physicist.
Born | |
---|---|
Died | September 23, 2018 | (aged 84)
Citizenship | United States United Kingdom[1] Hong Kong[2] |
Alma mater | University College London (PhD 1965, issued by University of London) Woolwich Polytechnic (BSc 1957, issued by University of London) |
Known for | Fiber optics Fiber-optic communication |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | The Chinese University of Hong Kong ITT Corporation Standard Telephones and Cables |
He helped discover the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications. Kao was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication".[7] Kao holds dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the United States.[8] Kao is known as the "Godfather of Broadband".[8]
Kao was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2002 and had speech difficulty.[9] He died on September 23, 2018 from complications of the disease in Sha Tin, Hong Kong at the age of 84.[10]
Charles K. Kao Media
A bundle of silica glass fibers for optical communication, which are the de facto worldwide standard. Kao also first publicly suggested that silica glass of high purity is an ideal material for long range optical communication.
Alexander Graham Bell, pioneer of telecommunication and an alumnus of University College London (UCL), was awarded the first U.S. patent for telephone in 1876.
Guglielmo Marconi, pioneer of wireless telecommunication, was awarded half of the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 2009, the century anniversary of Marconi's Nobel, Kao was awarded half of the same prize for his pioneer work on optical fiber which has "rewired the world". Kao was also awarded the Marconi Prize in 1985, and is a Fellow of the Marconi Society.
The landmark auditorium in the Hong Kong Science Park was named after Kao on December 30, 2009.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009 – Press Release. Nobel Foundation. October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ↑ Headline Daily (October 7, 2009). 高錕獲諾貝爾獎 國人驕傲. Headline Daily. http://why.eastday.com/q/20091008/u1a639015.html. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ↑ "306 people to receive honours". The Government of Hong Kong SAR. July 1, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.[dead link]
- ↑ "2010 Queen's Birthday Honours List SUPPLEMENT No.1 B23" (pdf). The London Gazette. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ↑ List of Fellows of the Royal Society 1660 – 2007
- ↑ "The Fellowship – List of Fellows". Raeng.org.uk. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ↑ The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009. Nobel Foundation. October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kelsey Mesher (October 15, 2009). "The legacy of Charles Kao". Mountain View Voice. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
- ↑ Ifeng.com: 港媒年初传高锟患老年痴呆症 妻称老人家记性差
- ↑ Chiu, Peace; Singh, Abhijit; Lam, Jeffie (23 September 2018). Hong Kong mourns passing of Nobel Prize winner and father of fiber optics, Charles Kao, 84. Hong Kong. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2165405/nobel-prize-winner-and-hong-kong-native-charles-kao-dies-84. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
Books
- K. C. Kao, T. W. Davies (1968), "Spectrophotometric Studies of Ultra Low Loss Optical Glasses – I: Single Beam Method", Journal of Scientific Instruments (Journal of Physics E) 2 (1): 1063–1068.
- K. C. Kao (June 1986), "1012 bit/s Optoelectronics Technology", IEE Proceedings 133, Pt.J, No 3, 230–236.
- K. C. Kao, A Time And A Tide (Autobiography of Charles K. Kao)
- K. C. Kao (July 2005)《潮平岸闊——高錕自述》(translated by 許迪鏘) Joint Publishing (Autobiography of Charles K. Kao)
Other websites
Media related to Charles K. Kao at Wikimedia Commons
- 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics information
- BBC: Lighting the way to a revolution
- IEEE Oral-History: Charles Kao
- Mountain View Voice: The legacy of Charles Kao
- Man who lit up the world – Professor Charles Kao CBE FREng Archived 2014-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Ingenia, Issue 43, June 2010