3 ms·
Do photonics based components have similar potential for complex calculations as quantum computing? We use binary because it was an improvement on analog, and
by musingsole 5y ago
Do photonics based components have similar potential for complex calculations as quantum computing?
We use binary because it was an improvement on analog, and it beat out ternary or higher orders. However, light can have a number of effectively binary attributes. I wonder if you could use polarity in addition to the light's presence for smuggling more data into a "bit"
- mmmBacon 5y agoIn theory yes. For example, certain optical elements perform Fourier transforms. However optical computing as we know it today is really a type of analog computer. Today’s optical devices are relatively large compared to transistors so difficult to make an optical computer scale very well. Also given that each optical computing stage involves optical power loss, there’s a limit to how many stages one can cascade before having to regenerate via an OEO conversion.