Reading up books: Fiber optics: Fiber optics will revolutionize communications and instrumentation providing challenges to the well-prepared

Although less than 20 years old, the field of fiber optics is already a key element of modern digital communication and electronic instrumentation systems. Current fiber optic applications include communications in long-haul, high data-rate, point-to-point links, and small local area networks as well as the sensing of pressure, temperature, and underwater sound fields. In the near future these applications will expand to include medium-scale distributed communications and the sensing of a wide variety of physical parameters.