City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics

NOTES TO PAGES 99–102 297
‘‘Growth of oscillations around the irregular wavy axis of a light guide,’’ Bell
System Technical Journal 44, pp. 2117–2132 (Nov. 1965); Dietrich Marcuse,
‘‘Properties of periodic gas lenses,’’ Bell System Technical Journal 44 pp. 2083–
2116, (Nov. 1965).
39. Peter Kaiser, telephone interview, May 17, 1995.
40. Irwin Dorros, ‘‘The Picturephone system: the network,’’ Bell System Technical
Journal 50, No. 2, pp. 221–233 (Feb. 1971); this entire thick issue of Bell’s
official technical journal is devoted to plans for the Picturephone, which managers
thought would shape the phone system.
41. Marcatili telephone interview; also A. G. Fox and Ivan P. Kaminow ‘‘Lightwave
communications,’’ in S. Millman ed., A History of Engineering and Science in
the Bell System: Vol. 5 Communications Sciences (AT&T, Bell Laboratories, Indianapolis,
1984, pp. 282–283).
42. Stewart E. Miller, ‘‘Communication by laser,’’ Scientific American 214, No.
1, pp. 19–27 (Jan. 1966).
43. Kompfner, ‘‘Optics.’’
44. Probably Narinder S. Kapany and James Burke, ‘‘Fiber optics. Part IX,
waveguide effects,’’ Journal of the Optical Society of America 51, No. 10, pp. 1067–
1078 (Oct. 1961). This appeared five months after Elias Snitzer published a paper
on waveguide effects in the same journal.
45. Jeofry S. Courtney-Pratt, telephone interview, Jan. 5, 1995.
46. Kaminow interview. Kaminow says he suggested optical fibers to Kompfner;
other people must have done the same.
47. Rudolf Kompfner, ‘‘Optical communications,’’ Science 150, pp. 149–155
(Oct. 8, 1965).
48. Miller and Tillotson, ‘‘Optical transmission research.’’
49. Stewart E. Miller, ‘‘Possible broadband systems of the future,’’ Signal, Aug.
1966, pp. 52–56.
50. Will Hicks interview, Feb. 4, 1994.
51. Ibid.
52. Lawrence Curtiss, interview, Jan. 20, 1995.
53. Heinrich Lamm, letter to Norbone B. Powell, Aug. 26, 1965, copy supplied
by Michael Lamm. Although Rudolf Schindler knew about fiber-optic endoscopes
eight years earlier, and knew where Lamm was working, there is no evidence
Schindler told Lamm about the development.
54. Per telephone interviews with the Hansell family, who were surprised to
hear about his fiber-optics patent.
55. ‘‘Clarence W. Hansell, 69, dead; electrical engineer for RCA,’’ New York
Times, Oct. 24, 1967.
56. Richard Cunningham, ‘‘Applications pioneer interview: Narinder Kapany,’’
Lasers & Applications, July 1986, pp. 65–68.
57. ‘‘2 ex-giants stop making lasers,’’ Laser Focus, Mar. 1973, pp. 30–32.
58. Kapany was forced out as chief executive as the company drifted toward
bankruptcy. By 1974, Optics Technology had vanished, one of several early laser
companies hit hard by the slumping economy (‘‘2 ex-giants’’). The company never
did venture into fibers for communications, which Kapany did not mention in a
1969, interview. ‘‘Fiber optics, growth field of the 1970s: an interview with Narinder
S. Kapany,’’ Laser Focus, July 1969, pp. 30–31.