What if photons can choose their route naturally in the photonic chip?

"Light that guides itself could power the next revolution in computing and communications. Credit: Yunxuan Wei at USC" (ScitechDaily, Self-Organizing Light Could Transform Computing and Communications)

In the new types of photonic circuits, photons find their way through the system without outside effect. The idea is similar to dropping the metal balls into the labyrinth; the metal ball finds its route through the labyrinth without outside assistance. In this new photonic circuit, the system allows photons to travel freely through the labyrinth. 

The laws of thermodynamics control the photon’s route, and if that system turns real, that is a great advance in microchip technology. This thing makes it possible to create new, low-energy microchips that are also immune to outside electromagnetic fields. In a photonic system, the system can use a series of individual photons in two ways. 

A certain number of photons in a certain time means one. And a lower number of photon impacts means zero. For example, 100 photon impacts per second means one. And less than 100 means zero. Or the system can store information in the ring-shaped light beam. The system stores data as wave movement in the photonic ring. 

In regular computers, routers and switches control the information that travels in the form of electric impulses. In photonic chips, the system uses photons to transport information. That causes problems with the small chips. The mirrors and prisms can control light, but the problem is how to control single photons? 

In those systems where a photon travels freely through the system, the photon chooses its route by following the laws of thermodynamics. The system can control those photons by tilting the energy levels in the chip. The idea is similar to people controlling the metal ball’s routes in miniature labyrinths. If the labyrinth is closed, they can simply tilt it and try to control the ball by tilting the labyrinth. In those systems, the energy level in the chip plays a similar role to the tilting angles of the labyrinth. 

There is a possibility of using the atom’s quantum fields in the system. The atom’s quantum fields are like hills, and when the energy level of the atoms rises, that rises the height of the hill. That makes it possible to control photons. The idea is that the system could inject and adjust a single atom’s energy levels. The energy hills of higher energy particles, like atoms, or maybe some subatomic particle, push a photon. And the energy steps to the lower energy level make it possible to control photon routes. But the problem is that the photon must not touch a thing. Another solution can be the network of quantum tunnels. In those tunnels, the photon should be protected against outside effects. 

But if we think that the photon is the ball that travels in the labyrinth, we have one way to control that route. Without the need to touch the photon. We can take the labyrinth in our hands and tilt it. In these types of systems, the thing that tilts the labyrinth is the outside energy. Energy always travels to the lower-level part of the system. So by stressing the labyrinth, the effect is similar to tilting the labyrinth in the case where the metal ball travels in it. 

https://scitechdaily.com/self-organizing-light-could-transform-computing-and-communications/