Bimodal Optical Computer.
Abstract
Much of the current attention being given to optical computing stems from its new found ability to perform digital operations and hence to achieve high accuracy. In optics as in electronics, digital operations are slower and clumsier than analog operations. On the other hand, digital operations are more flexible and more accurate. These considerations lead us to consider whether some sorts of hybrid optical-electronic, analog-digital systems might be useful for some tasks. In this paper, we consider two closely-related hybrids: analog optics wit digital electronics and analog optics with hybrid analog-digital electronics. Both systems will use analog optics for rapid and moderately accurate solution of complex problems and use the electronics to 'bootstrap' the accuracy. That is each new optical computation should increase the accuracy of the solution. We will call such a system a Bimodal Optical Computer. While many of these concepts appear to be new to optics, they are not new to computing in general. We will attempt to document the most useful of the prior publications, to make isomorphisms with other fields explicit, and to label those contributions which appear to be new. With all of these caveats, our primary purpose is to present a general approach for using optical computers. We will illustrate that approach with one specific problem (linear algebraic equations), but this should not obscure the generality of the concept. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 06, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA161399
Entities
People
- H. J. Caulfield
- H. Rabitz
- J. Gelfand
- J. H. Gruninger
- K. Steiglitz
Organizations
- Aerodyne Research