title: The fiber fuse--from a curious effect to a critical issue: a 25th year retrospective.
abstract: A process leading to a stunningly beautiful and distinctive propagating plasma emission in optical fibers was discovered by the author 25 years ago. The genie that escaped its glass bottle leaves a trail of destruction. This paper traces the history and impact of the effect, which can threaten the security of all modern communication systems.
authors.affiliation: Fabulas and the Advanced Photonics Concepts Laboratory, Department of Physics Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Qc, Montreal H3T 1J4, Canada. raman.kashyap@polymtl.ca
authors.forename: Raman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kashyap