Light-based computing.

[Guest levicc00123]

Hi, I've been interested in quantum computing for a while now and I've always wondered, why can't light be used to preform computations? So I've been working on ways of encoding information into beams of light and I've got a few ideas so far.

 

1. using the spectrum from beams of varying wavelenght and frequency. I haven't been able to check this idea to make sure it would be valid, though if it is, this would be easier to store but would take longer to encode for processing.

2. using the seven colors of the rainbow and white to represent information. This, too would be easy to store and wouldn't take as long to decode .

3. using light of varying frequencies to represent binary. (e.g. 10010101 would be represented as 148Mhz.) this would be harder to store but the fastest to decode for the CPU.

 

for making it easy to process, an encoder will be on one side and a decode on the other side of the CPU. I'm not sure what I'll be using to control the flow of light yet, I also don't know what I'll be using for storage either but I'll keep epople up-to-date.

 

does anyone have any ideas, comments or questions?

[5614]

oh oh pick me!!!!

 

yeah, i have a comment... it already exists!!!!

 

fibre optic networks?

fibre optics cables?

fibre optic communication?

 

it all exists for network communication, photons and light can be used for quantum computers.

 

fibre optics is not used inside one individual computer as you need to convert the data from a light beem into an electrical signal which involves a, well not big but bigger than nothing (you dont need a data in light -> electrical data for normal wires)... also for a the cm or less than 1inch of wire between computer components by the time you take into account the electrical current --> data encrypted light process it is quicker and vastly cheaper to use normal wires.

 

fibre optics and light communication is a big advantage over long distances due to speed and no heat loss (or resistance in wires).

[Guest levicc00123]

oh oh pick me!!!!

 

yeah' date=' i have a comment... it already exists!!!!

 

fibre optic networks?

fibre optics cables?

fibre optic communication?

 

it all exists for network communication, photons and light can be used for quantum computers.

 

fibre optics is not used inside one individual computer as you need to convert the data from a light beem into an electrical signal which involves a, well not big but bigger than nothing (you dont need a data in light -> electrical data for normal wires)... also for a the cm or less than 1inch of wire between computer components by the time you take into account the electrical current --> data encrypted light process it is quicker and vastly cheaper to use normal wires.

 

fibre optics and light communication is a big advantage over long distances due to speed and no heat loss (or resistance in wires).[/quote']

 

Maybe I wasn't clear enough, I was talking about building an all-optical computer system, where everything from processing to storage deals with light directly, rather than converting light linformation into electronic information. I'm aware of fibre-optics, heck, I worked with it alot during the first half of my senior year as a networking assistant at my high school.

[5614]

ah, ok... i was a bit suprised if you hadnt heard of fibre optics!

 

the problem with an all computer (as i pointed out in my last post) is that getting the data into a light beam requires a conversion process, take into account: size, time (carrying out the process) and cost it is neither costly or timely beneficial.

 

although light would travel faster down the wire the difference between light speed and the speed of electricity across a few mm of wire is not really significant... conversion process at each end of the wire makes me doubt there is any speed different at all... take into cost consideration it just wont happen!

 

unless you started making every individual chip and component light driven (as opposed to electrical inputs as it is at the moment), however this would not really work as i mean, think of even just basic electrical components, you cant do the same with light... resistors, filters maybe, but then you'd lose data, which is different from an electrical resistor, and capacitors... you can't 'hold' light and finally transistors, there are thousand if not millions in any single computer... you cant, or at least at the moment you cant have a transistor for light.

 

even then how can you have light driven HDD?

 

i am assuming you know computer engineering... a HDD is entriely electrical, input and all and you cannot switch the electrical wiring inside with lights as it is the electrical input which moves the read/write head and makes it read/write, you cant read/write off a magnetic disk using photons and light!