Excerpts From 2009 Nobel Physics Prize

Excerpts from the citation awarding the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics to Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Institute says Kao was honored for breakthroughs in fiber optics while Boyle and Smith were honored for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit.

___

"This year's Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded for two scientific achievements that have helped to shape the foundations of today's networked societies. They have created many practical innovations for everyday life and provided new tools for scientific exploration."

___

"In 1966, Charles K. Kao made a discovery that led to a breakthrough in fiber optics. He carefully calculated how to transmit light over long distances via optical glass fibers. With a fiber of purest glass it would be possible to transmit light signals over 100 kilometers, compared to only 20 meters for the fibers available in the 1960s."

___

"A large share of the traffic is made up of digital images, which constitute the second part of the award. In 1969 Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith invented the first successful imaging technology using a digital sensor, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device)."

____

"Digital photography has become an irreplaceable tool in many fields of research. The CCD has provided new possibilities to visualize the previously unseen. It has given us crystal clear images of distant places in our universe as well as the depths of the oceans."