Tributes have been paid to Nobel Prize-winning Chinese-British physicist Charles Kuen Kao whose death in Hong Kong was announced on Sunday at the age of 84.

Kao pioneered the development and use of fiber optic technology, bringing revolutionary changes to modern telecommunication technology, said Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 

"Professor Kao was a brilliant scholar and visionary leader in higher education," said Professor Rocky Tuan, vice-chancellor and president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). "As the third vice-chancellor, he spearheaded the advancement of CUHK in its formative years, laying down a fertile ground for the growth of talents, and made remarkable achievements during his tenure." 

Father of fiber optics

Kao was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics for his "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication." 

Born in 1933 in Shanghai, he showed extraordinary interest in science in his childhood. He went to the University of London and got the Bachelor of Science degree and his PhD in electrical engineering.

Kao embarked in 1957 on a long journey of studying optical fiber as the medium of communication. He put forward the groundbreaking theory of fiber optics in communication applications in 1966, saying the glass purity of the optical fiber is the key to reducing light loss, while fused quartz is the right material to make high-purity glass.

"The whole world will use fiber optics in the future," he had predicted.

The world's first optical fiber measuring one kilometer long was launched in 1971, and the first optical fiber communication system was put into use in 1981.

Kao served as the third vice-chancellor of CUHK from 1987 to 1996 and was appointed an honorary professor of engineering after retiring.

"His impeccable drive for excellence in science and technology led to his groundbreaking accomplishments in the area of fiber optics, which brought forth the development of the Internet and opened a new page in the history of telecommunications," Tuan said.

Among Kao's numerous honors was when the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences named an asteroid internationally numbered 3436 as "Asteroid Kaokuen" in 1996 to honor his contribution to the research of fiber optics. 

Battle with Alzheimer's

Kao was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2004, a devastating disease that leaves patients suffering from memory loss, disorientation, and behavioral problems. He founded the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease with his wife Gwen Kao in 2010, an effort to raise the public awareness of the disease, educate the public on the strategies for brain health, call for more support for the victims and their families, and encourage cooperation among different parties on this disease. 

On his death, the foundation pledged to "keep up our work in supporting people with Alzheimer's disease and their families."

"We hope you can show solidarity with our Foundation in supporting the last wishes of Professor Kao,” said Gwen Kao in a news release.