The appetite for faster and faster Internet con-rnnections with greater and greater information-rntransfer capacity continues unabated. With thernlikes of high-definition television, music and video streaming, and social networks all contributing to a 60% annual growth in Internet traffic, the increasing demand for information capacity is putting strain on present information-handling capabilities. In order to avoid a worldwide-wait scenario reminiscent of the dial-up era, optical engineers are developing information-processing technologies aimed at terabit-per-second capabilities, which will be able to pump data through optical fibers straight to the home. Galili et al. have developed an.optical switch that heads toward this goal.
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