A new semiconductor is a big step for photonic computing.

“When two pulses of different colored lasers light  (the two waves at the top of the image)meet in a new device created at the University of Michigan, researchers create a beam of electrons (small golden particles) that flows in a controllable direction. By changing the laser colors, the electron beam can sweep through different directions. Like the beam of a lighthouse. Credit: Yiming Gong." (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)

"The light-controlled electron current could open new paths for sensing, telecommunications, and other advanced technologies.” (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)

“A pair of laser beams can now send electrons through a semiconductor in a chosen direction without any external electrical power. Researchers at the University of Michigan built the device to explore a previously unobserved physical effect and demonstrate that light alone can both generate and steer an electronic current. ” (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)

The biggest problem with photonic computers is the nano-sized optics. That optics is needed to transmit information in the system. It uses light for data transmission. Photonic computers are becoming more interesting. Because they could use less energy. But the main role is that photonic computers. They are immune to EMP (Electromagnetic pulses). Optical data storage doesn’t care about electromagnetic radiation. The problem is. Of course, the control system. Of those computers. Moving parts like turning mirrors. Their turning mechanisms are still vulnerable. So. If we want to make a computer that is fully protected against the EMP. 

We must put the entire computer. Along with its power source, in the EMP-protected space. The name of that space is a Faraday cage. 

This metal cage denies radio waves. Travel through it. The system must communicate with the internet by using an optical switch. This means laser data transmission through that Faraday cage. The computer must use laser data transmission with the EMP-protected computer and the net. The system must not have one single iron or metal wire through the Faraday cage. Or. The EMP pulse travels through it. But optical communication through the cage. It could solve that problem. 

There are actually three versions of photonic computers. 

1) The system where data travels in laser beams between the microprocessors. This system uses conventional microchips. Laser beams transmit data into photovoltaic cells.  They transform it into electric signals. Microprocessors compute those signals as regular computers. 

2) In the second photonic system, the data travels in photonic form through the entire system. The system. It can have nano-scale optics. That controls light. Like an electric computer controls electric signals. Optics require electric systems. That control those mirrors. 

3) Fully photonic computers. There, the entire system operates. With. Some other than regular mirrors and prisms. Things like photoacoustics are promising tools. The photoacoustic or optoacoustic systems. It could control light by using pressure or sound waves in the optical materials. One of the things that can make this kind of dream possible. It could be the tool. 

It uses electric eruptions in a mountain crystal to manipulate light. The light beams can be conducted to the quartz crystal. Then the system sends pressure waves into that crystal. That causes electric phenomena that affect light. The idea is to aim the laser beam into those lightning strikes that form in that crystal. But the problem is how to make those crystals small enough. 

New semiconductor aims light precisely in the desired direction.  Researchers at the University of Michigan created a system. Two laser beams send information into the semiconductor. That semiconductor resends that information in the desired direction. This system can turn light in the desired direction. That is important for photonic data transmission. The system must control light beams. The diameter of those light beams is extremely small. And that makes it hard to create normal mirrors. These types of crystals can bring optical computers one step closer. 

The crystals could manipulate natural light. They can make a new model for quantum optical stealth systems possible. But even if they could manipulate only IR light. That could be fundamental. If the system. It could aim just the IR radiation into the desired direction. That could make it possible to deny the IR signature. The system. It just directs IR light away from the observer. That makes it possible to create a system that is not visible in IR light. We know that turning the natural light away from the observer is challenging. But changing the direction of one wavelength type is easier. And the ability to aim IR into the desired directions. It can give the ultimate night-operation capacity. It could turn the system invisible to IR cameras. Because. It aims IR radiation away from the system. 

https://scitechdaily.com/new-semiconductor-device-turns-light-into-a-directed-current/

Frozen light and quantum materials.

"Artist impression of a frozen optical fiber core in a glass capillary, which guides and couples light and sound waves efficiently. Credit: Philipp Denghel" (ScitechDaily, A Fiber Frozen at -196°C Unlocks a New Way To Store Light)

This system is the new form for optoacoustic systems. The light controls sound waves. When. Light hits the glass. It. Causes sound waves.  The sound wave forms when the structure absorbs light energy. 

Optoacoustic systems. They can be used as extremely accurate loudspeakers. And they can also be used in sharp sonars. The same systems can also be used in biomimicking neural networks. In those systems, pressure waves. They can also control light. And that makes this technology. Very interesting and suitable for photonic computers.  

Frozen light and room-temperature quantum technology. They can open a new path for photonic computers. Researchers are freezing fiber at -196 C. That allows light to be stored so that it can keep its form. The 100% reflecting mirrors. And material that doesn’t absorb radiation energy. They can make it possible to store light in its form. There, it is driven into that system. 

This makes it possible to create data storage. Their data is stored in the photonic beam. And that system makes it possible. To create the ultra-secure photonic USB. With this type of memory, they could make photonic computers a reality. If. Some unauthorized actor tries to open the optical USB stick. That uses the frozen light beam as the data storage. That attempt destroys the data. 

And the photonic computer. It can port information into them. In. The form of frozen light. This removes the electric layer between that data storage and computer. 

An ability to store information in a frozen light beam.  It makes it possible. To create photonic RAM and ROM memory chips. The problem is that the system requires massive coolers. That decreases the temperature to a level at which oscillation in those optical fibers ends. That oscillation is the thing that disturbs the light beam. And destroys information. The optical mass memory works like this. The light beam is frozen between 100% reflecting mirrors. 

When another mirror is open. This. Releases the laser beam. And the system can process that data. In some futuristic movies. This technology. It makes it possible. To create laser bullets.

The laser bullet works. With a similar principle. To optical mass memory. The high-power laser beam is trapped between 100% reflecting mirrors. If. The system does not absorb the radiation energy. This makes it possible to store high-energy laser beams in those structures. When. They hit the target. They release that laser beam. If. That laser beam is released in an optoacoustic structure. That can cause an extremely strong pressure effect. 

The new room-temperature quantum materials make it possible to scatter and sort light. That ability makes it possible to create new types of communication and stealth tools. The optical stealth works like this. The material pushes light away from its shell. It causes light waves to move around it. The system must use precise, right energy. 

If. The pushing energy is too high. The system causes normal reflection. That means the optical stealth must use energy that creates the standing wave. That drives light into the wanted direction. 

The room temperature quantum heat waves. They can make it possible to focus energy precisely into the wanted point. That makes it possible to create quantum communication systems. These are secure and energy-friendly. The system can use a certain form of information in data transmission. If. Data travels in quantum particles that have an “X”-shape. The system sees the shape of those particles. And if that shape is changed. That means that somebody tried to steal information. 

In. Communication. Energy-friendly means the same time security. If. The system can use a minimum energy level and focus information precisely into the wanted point. That makes it harder to capture signals. The attacker captures data from the spread signal. That travels past the receiver. If. Links use optical or radio-maser technology for transmitting data. That makes it harder to capture signals. 

Highly precise maser technology. It. Makes it possible. To create transmitter-receiver pairs. There are no spread signals. If. The intelligent system knows the transmission power. And it knows the natural power loss. The system knows when somebody tries to steal data. When. An attacker steals data. 

This action causes a change in the system’s energy fields. The system knows what energy level of received signals should be. If. That energy level is different from the calculated one. That causes suspicion of the attack. Natural phenomena always repeat in the same way.  They cause similar effects in their environment. 

AI can calculate the effects of natural phenomena on data transmission. And if there are changes, that tells. That somebody attempts to steal data. This requires complete knowledge of the system. That means that all data must travel between links. Can we someday reach this ideal situation? If data travels in nanotubes and a controlled environment. That is possible.  Maybe new quantum systems. They can make this possible. Also. In a natural environment. 

https://scitechdaily.com/a-fiber-frozen-at-196c-unlocks-a-new-way-to-store-light/

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-heat-waves-spotted-at-room-temperature-for-the-first-time/

https://scitechdaily.com/worlds-first-room-temperature-quantum-material-sorts-light-in-an-unprecedented-way/

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/