Undersea Fiberoptic Cable Systems: High-Tech Telecommunications Tempered by a Century of Ocean Cable Experience

Undersea fiberoptic cables make international communications possible. The challenge is to develop new approaches to increase capacity and keep up with demand.

by Neal S. Bergano

Integrated Optical Components for WDM Systems

Critical to future developments in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) are integrated optical components that are fabricated using silicon optical bench technology.

by Alice E. White

A 1021 Channel WDM System

An optical system capable of delivering independent 74 Mb/s streams to a very large number of users (>1000) using a technique with potentially low per-port costs is described.

by Brandon C. Collings, Matthew L. Mitchell, Luc Bolvin and Wayne H. Knox

Being Parallel: How Associative Holographic Memories May One Day Deliver Optical Computing

There's more to data storage than storing data; being able to get the right information out when it's needed is crucial. This article looks at two possible optical technology solutions: correlators and holographic memories.

by Sunny Bains

Scatterings

Research and Industry News

Gary Bjorklund Named Chief Technology Officer At Nanovation Technologies / New Topical Editor for Optics Letters / OSA Members Form "New Incubator" / Fred Billmeyer Receives Color and Appearance Award / Coherent Laser Group and Picometrix Join to Develop Terahertz System / Optical Sensor Protects Nation's Historical Documents / Light Without Bulbs? / Breast Cancer Detection / Laser Collaboration Reached / Isolated Black Holes Identified / The 20 Million Year Clock / Doctoral Students Survey

In Memoriam

In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Richard G. Barakat and William Edwin Scott

Capital View

Big Doings About Very Little

A look at the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the new federal initiative in nanoscience and nanoengineering announced by President Clinton in January.

Legal Lens

The IP-Empowered Engineer

The value of being an engineer, scientist or technician who has a working knowledge of intellectual-property fundamentals.

Education

Update on the Use Of Holography for Optics And Photonics Education

Using holography to interest young people in the excitement and opportunities offered by a career in photonics.

Education

The Oldest Higher-Education Optical Institution in Russia Turns 100

A history of the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics.

Electronic Information

Screening PostScript Files

How to view a PostScript document on a screen.

Engineering

Bracewell's Interferometric Telescope

A discussion of the telescope developed by Ronald Bracewell that uses a nulling interferometer to cancel the image of a bright star in order to observe the relatively faint planets in orbit around the star.

High-Resolution Flatbed Scanner Objective

This month’s design is a simple four-element Sonnar-type lens in which all of the elements are air-spaced.

Education

Three Columns on Learning for the Year 2000

An introduction of three new OPN columns

From the President

From the President

2000 OSA President Erich Ippen discusses some of the activities of the Council on Membership and Education Services (MES).

Optical Feedback

Letters to the Editor

An open letter to the leaders and members of the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE).

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Reviews of Applied Optics And Optoelectronics 1998 by J. Abdulhalim / Dynamical Theory Of Crystal Lattices by Vida K. Castillo / Applications of High-Field And Short Wavelength Sources by Hector O. Di Rocco / How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist by Barry R. Masters

OSA Homepage

News from the Society

The Quarterly Newsletter for Members of the Optical Society of America