Charles K. Kao

Charles K. Kao
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Name	Charles K. Kao
Caption	Kao in 2009
Birth date	4 November 1933
Birth place	Shanghai, China
Death date	23 September 2018
Death place	Sha Tin, Hong Kong
Fields	Electrical engineering, Applied physics
Workplaces	Chinese University of Hong Kong, Standard Telephones and Cables, ITT Corporation
Alma mater	University of London (PhD), Woolwich Polytechnic (BSc)
Known for	Pioneering optical fibre communications
Prizes	Nobel Prize in Physics (2009), IEEE Medal of Honor (2009), Prince Philip Medal (1996)

Charles K. Kao was a pioneering electrical engineer and physicist whose groundbreaking theoretical work laid the foundation for modern optical fibre communications. His research in the 1960s demonstrated the feasibility of using ultra-pure glass fibres to transmit light signals over long distances, revolutionizing global telecommunications and the Internet. For this achievement, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009, earning the moniker "Godfather of Broadband."

Early life and education

Charles Kuen Kao was born in Shanghai in 1933, during the tumultuous era of the Republic of China (1912–1949). His family moved to Hong Kong in 1948, where he completed his secondary education at St. Joseph's College. For his university studies, Kao traveled to the United Kingdom, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical engineering from Woolwich Polytechnic (now the University of Greenwich) in 1957. He subsequently pursued doctoral research at the University of London, where he worked under Professor Harold Barlow at the prestigious University College London and received his PhD in Electrical engineering in 1965.

Career and research

Upon completing his bachelor's degree, Kao began his career as an engineer at the International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT Corporation) subsidiary Standard Telephones and Cables (STC) in Harlow, England. At the Standard Telecommunication Laboratories, he collaborated with researcher George Hockham. In their seminal 1966 paper, Kao and Hockham theorized that the high signal loss in existing glass fibres was due to impurities, not an inherent limitation of the material. He championed the idea that fibres made from ultra-pure fused silica could achieve the low attenuation necessary for practical long-distance communication, a vision initially met with skepticism. His persistent advocacy and theoretical calculations proved correct, directly inspiring global research efforts at institutions like Corning Glass Works and Bell Labs.

Nobel Prize and recognition

Kao's foundational contributions were recognized with numerous prestigious awards. In 2009, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics with Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith; Kao received half the prize "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication." That same year, he also received the IEEE Medal of Honor. Earlier honors included the Prince Philip Medal awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996 and the Japan Prize in 1996. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1997 and was a founding member of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Later life and legacy

In 1970, Kao returned to Hong Kong to help establish the Chinese University of Hong Kong's engineering faculty, later serving as its Vice-Chancellor from 1987 to 1996. He was instrumental in founding the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and served as the chairman of ITX Services Limited. His work enabled the global fibre-optic backbone, critical for the Internet, digital TV, and international telephony. The asteroid 3463 Kaokuen was named in his honor. In his later years, he battled Alzheimer's disease and, with his wife, established the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's disease to support patients and caregivers in Hong Kong.

Personal life

Kao married Gwen May-Wan Kao (née Wong) in 1959, whom he met while they were both students in London. They had two children. He was a descendant of the Ming Dynasty scholar Kao Ping, and his father, Kao Chun-Hsiang, was a law professor. An accomplished calligrapher, Kao was also known for his humility and dedication to education. He became a naturalized British citizen and was knighted in 2010, becoming Sir Charles K. Kao. He spent his final years in Hong Kong and passed away in Sha Tin in 2018.

Category:1933 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Nobel laureates in Physics Category:Hong Kong engineers Category:Fellows of the Royal Society