Photon-based computing

Extracted Attributes

• Challenges

  Energy conversion loss (optoelectronic devices), photon loss during computation, low detection efficiency of single-photon detectors

• Applications

  Data processing, data storage, data communication, scientific computations, machine learning, optimization problems, Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT), neuromorphic computing, quantum computing

• Key Advantages

  Higher bandwidth, faster data transmission, low energy consumption, minimal thermal overhead, noise resistance (in quantum applications), quantum parallelism, room-temperature operation (in quantum applications)

• Primary Medium

  Light waves (photons)

• Alternative Names

  Optical computing, Photonic computing

• Components/Methods

  Lasers, incoherent sources, optical components (beam splitters, waveguides, phase shifters), integrated photonic circuits, silicon-based X-series chips, phase modulation, amplitude modulation using photonic memories

• Information Encoding (Quantum)

  Photon polarization, phase, time-bin, direction of travel

• Comparison to Traditional Systems

  Uses photons instead of electrons, offers higher bandwidth and efficiency, operates with minimal thermal overhead compared to heat-dissipating electronic systems

Timeline

• The first clinically-approved Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) system was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Source: Wikipedia)

  2021-09-01

• Quantum Source, an Israeli photonic quantum computing company, was founded by Oded Melamed, Gil Semo, and Dan Charash. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2021-XX-XX

Photon-counting computed tomography

Photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) is a form of X-ray computed tomography (CT) in which X-rays are detected using a photon-counting detector (PCD) which registers the interactions of individual photons. By keeping track of the deposited energy in each interaction, the detector pixels of a PCD each record an approximate energy spectrum, making it a spectral or energy-resolved CT technique. In contrast, more conventional CT scanners use energy-integrating detectors (EIDs), where the total energy (generally from a large number of photons as well as electronic noise) deposited in a pixel during a fixed period of time is registered. These EIDs thus register only photon intensity, comparable to black-and-white photography, whereas PCDs register also spectral information, similar to color photography. The first clinically-approved PCCT system was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2021.

Web Search Results

• Light-Speed Logic: Photonic Quantum Computing Explained

  Photonic computing and quantum computing are related yet different concepts. Photonic computing refers to using photons for information processing, which can be applied in both classical and quantum contexts. In classical photonic computing, light is used to carry out operations faster or more efficiently than with electronics. [...] Photonic quantum computing uses particles of light—photons—as qubits to encode and process quantum information. These photons can carry information in properties such as polarization, phase, or time-bin, and are manipulated using optical components like beam splitters, waveguides, and phase shifters. Quantum logic gates are implemented by controlling the way photons interact with each other, often using integrated photonic circuits on semiconductor chips. ‍ ### Is photonic computing possible? [...] Many industries often come across complex optimization problems that are computationally expensive for classical computers. Photonic-based quantum computing can address these challenges more efficiently with the help of quantum parallelism and the high-speed nature of photon-based processing. For example, photonic processors can explore multiple solutions at the same time, minimizing the time it takes to identify the optimal one.

• Optical computing

  Optical computing or photonic computing uses light waves produced by lasers or incoherent sources for data processing, data storage or data communication for computing. For decades, photons have shown promise to enable a higher bandwidth "Bandwidth (signal processing)") than the electrons used in conventional computers (see optical fibers). [...] With increasing demands on graphical processing unit-based accelerator technologies, in the second decade of the 21st century, there has been a huge emphasis on the use of on-chip integrated optics to create photonics-based processors. The emergence of both deep learning neural networks based on phase modulation, and more recently amplitude modulation using photonic memories have created a new area of photonic technologies for neuromorphic computing, leading to new photonic computing [...] Most research projects focus on replacing current computer components with optical equivalents, resulting in an optical digital computer system processing binary data. This approach appears to offer the best short-term prospects for commercial optical computing, since optical components could be integrated into traditional computers to produce an optical-electronic hybrid. However, optoelectronic devices consume 30% of their energy converting electronic energy into photons and back; this

• Photonics and Quantum Computing: A Radiant Revolution

  Photonic quantum computers offer noise resistance and high-speed operations, making them ideal for scalable quantum computing with lower power consumption than traditional quantum computers. Power requirements are also critical. For example, Xanadu’s photonic quantum computers use silicon-based X-series chips with modules for squeezing and photon detection to solve complex problems. Squeezed states allow for a superposition of photon numbers, enhancing computational power in quantum scenarios. [...] Another challenge for photonics-based quantum computing is the loss of photons during computation and the low detection efficiency of single-photon detectors. Overcoming these limitations is critical for achieving error-corrected, large-scale quantum computers. Algorithms are crucial in optimizing photonics-based quantum computers. [...] Photonics is rapidly gaining momentum in quantum computing, and new types of quantum algorithms are helping it. Advancements in laser technology and reducing propagation losses in silicon used to stabilize photons indicate a promising future for photonic quantum computing. Industry and research centers are pushing the boundaries of quantum technology by leveraging the unique properties of photons, such as room-temperature operation, high-speed data transfer, and natural resistance to

• How photonic computing can move from promise ...

  Photonic computing leverages the speed and efficiency of light. Photons can transmit data faster than electrons and work in low-energy environments, which makes them perfect for processing intensive workloads like scientific computations, machine learning and optimization problems. Furthermore, while electronic systems dissipate heat and require intensive cooling, optical systems operate with minimal thermal overhead. [...] Silicon-based computing has been a key driver of innovation, but modern workloads are pushing high-performance computers to breaking point. Photonic, or optical, computing that uses light instead of electricity is paving the way for a new world of faster and more efficient computing. With demand for faster and greener computing growing, photonic systems can complement, and in some cases outpace, traditional systems. [...] The momentum behind photonic computing is growing, and today’s research is paving the way for a new world of faster and more efficient computing. The photonic computing field features several architectures, each with its own benefits and trade-offs:

• 6 Companies Working with Photonic Quantum Computing ...

  Photonic quantum computing is a type of quantum computing that uses photons as a representation of qubits. It consists of the ring that is used as a photons storage, along with the scattering unit. Determining whether the information they are carrying is 1 or a 0, is left to the direction of the photon travel, but it can also be both 1 and 0 as a product of the quirks of quantum superposition. The scattering unit is used as an encoder, directing the photons onto it as they will enter a cavity [...] London-based ORCA Computing was set up by experienced scientists and entrepreneurs based on research from Professor Ian Walmsley’s Ultra-fast and Non-linear Quantum Optics Group at the University of Oxford (UK). Within the group, Ian Walmsley, Josh Nunn, and Kris Kaczmarek identified that “short-term” quantum memories could synchronize photonic operations and enable truly scalable quantum computing. [...] ### 1. Quantum Source (Photonics Computing) Quantum Source is an Israeli photonic quantum computing company founded in 2021 by Oded Melamed, Gil Semo, and Dan Charash, with scientific leadership from Prof. Barak Dayan. The company is pioneering a novel approach to large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing by coupling photonic qubits with atomic qubits on a proprietary photonic chip.