About photonic Using Compute Engine with An Optical Phased Array

[Alexander Morozov]

1. In the patent "Photonic Ising Compute Engine with An Optical Phased Array" (https://patents.google.com/patent/U...g+Compute+Engine+with+An+Optical+Phased+Array) dated 2023-05-11 and the article "Scalable and ultralow power silicon photonic two-dimensional phased array" (https://pubs.aip.org/aip/app/articl...lable-and-ultralow-power-silicon-photonic-two) dated January 2023, the authors, led by James Leatham from the Raytheon Intelligence & Space laboratory, study the construction of a computer from an optical phased array, and for better control of the electromagnetic field, they propose to use attenuators\amplifiers.

2. In “On the control of the electromagnetic field in a space. Continuation” (https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=505072) it is assumed that a periodic array of radio components with wireless distributed communication allows you to control and transform the spatial spectrum of the electromagnetic field only by phase shifters. In the radio range, these can be varicaps, and what's the best thing about optics?

Is it useful to combine these two observations when building high-speed optical calculators with vector-matrix control?

 

[Alexander Morozov]

Objectives of the optical computer:
- “Optical computing provides an advantage because it generates no heat. It needs no return path for electrons”,
- increasing the speed of computing (the clock frequency can be much higher than the units of GHZ of modern electronic computers),
- size reduction,
- during calculations, the ability to control the electromagnetic field in space as in phased arrays (for frequencies units of GHZ, the dimensions of radio arrays are measured in meters, in optics – in microns),

I assume that the classical control of the field by phase shifters\attenuators\amplifiers does not provide control with the greatest benefit for calculations. For example, it is impossible to create a radiation pattern as in FIG. 4 without large energy losses of controlled light using a phased array with Fig. 1. But the diagram with FIG. 2 has such an opportunity, if in the optical range it is possible to make a phase shifter with the diagram of FIG. 3. In this case, the energy is not absorbed \amplified, but redistributed in the control channels. This creates additional opportunities for transmitting binary information.

I studied such method of controlling the microwave field in the USSR, but now only technologies are available to me https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=460973 . For example, JAMES G. LATHAM, head of the RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES laboratory, has such technologies and he can make the phased array with diagram FIG. 2. I wrote to them in vain, so I'm trying to find out the opinion of engineers about the usefulness of such field management. Some details are described in the links fromig the first message.

F.IG 1 from the https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...iasl/5541dd9450564fdd60fdf8fc622246025700a4ba (Fig. 6).
FIG. 2, FIG. 3 from the https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=505072 (Fig. 1)

 

[Alexander Morozov]

But it wasn't my idea, it was JAMES G. LATHAM, head of the RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES laboratory, deeply respected Cherokee Indian. I only propose to improve the quality of control of the electromagnetic field, including light.