The Fiber Fuse - from a curious effect to a critical issue: A 25th year retrospective

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. (c) 2013 Optical Society of America