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Amazing stuff. At Leeds university in the computer sciences department in the 1980s we had a Head of Department who was in laser physics/photonics. I am ashamed to admit we (some of us) were not very nice about this, I think we completely failed to see the critical importance of laser physics and photonics to future computing outcomes.
I think the delay between the work, and the Nobel is very odd. I think well before the 2000s anyone in the field would have known the import of the work.
The science museum in London had a very nice display of the concepts using a clear lucite rod with a bend, and a light at one end. It was remarkably well done with all kinds of cute museum tricks to 'show' the bent light inside the pipe. I think the modernisation they did in the 90s or later got rid of this kind of thing, which is a damn shame.
Practical applications of physics rarely tend to win Nobels, and only after substantial delay. CCDs were invented in 1969 and were being mass produced in consumer electronics in the 90s but the Nobel was only awarded in 2009 (the same year Kao won his). Blue LEDs weren't recognized until 2014. Kirby got a Nobel for the integrated circuit (invented in the late 50s) in 2000!
A slightly more cynical person would say that the Nobel committee is not really interested in awarding prizes for this sort of work.
A more pragmatic person might argue that the reward for innovative practical applications already exists (i.e. money) and that by rewarding more purely theoretical research that doesn't have any immediately practical applications that you encourage more of it to take place.
How much money did the inventor of the Blue LED get?
He was employed to create products which may or may not have ended up having commercial application with a salary when he quit of ¥20m (very above average in Japan). Plus he won a settlement after of USD$9m.
Not to mention the fact that he also won a Nobel.
The backstory of Fiber optics Between 1950-1970 is fascinating and worth a read for anyone into seeing what innovation decades ahead of use looks like.
Mr. Kao contributed some amazing advances in a field kickstarted by perhaps even madder scientists before him.
The story of the foundational work in Fiber Optics by the group a decade earlier (Bram Van Heel, Harold Hopkins, Narinder Singh Kapany, etc) is worth learning about at a time of reflection to appreciate Mr. Kao's contributions. Some are still alive today.
Science, and the Nobel folks are also revealing in how those who who laid a foundation for Fibre Optics almost a decade earlier don't seem as well known.
It reminds me of how our society has benefitted greatly because of less known individuals due to recognition (until recently) like Nikola Tesla.
Any further reading you'd recommend beyond Wikipedia?
sometime i felt like the whole Noble things also became a joke, just like politics. People think blue LED that invented in 1990 didn't get fair treatment until 2014, but not too many people know the infrared LED was first invented in 1962, but the inventor Nick Holonyak still didn't get any fair treatment even till now.
Mr. Kao moved from China to Taiwan in 1948, and moved from Hong Kong to London in 1997. Both happened at very interest time if you are familiar with China.
It's not a surprise that he was avoiding the communists. As the article states, his family was wealthy.