Recently I read an article in Photonics Spectra by Prof. Dan Gauthier et al (Duke University) which sounded important to the future of electronics but I did not understand a word. So if you understand optics better than I do and you are interested in futuristic technologies that may impact electronics you should read Gauthier’s article (Photonics Spectra, March 2006, pg. 44).

What Gauthier is saying is that it is possible to reduce the speed of light (3x108m/sec. in vacuum) all the way down to the speed of a good cyclist, by choosing the right light propagation medium. So, one was able to improve the bandwidth of slow light and transition into the wavelength range of telecommunications. The most promising applications will be in high-speed telecommunication regenerators for re-synchronizing the data stream with the clock and as true time delay devices for synthetic-aperture radar, and may be eventually for optical buffering applications.