optical computer (redirected from Photon computer)

optical computer

A computer in which all internal circuits use light instead of electricity. Long predicted, an all-optical computer is not expected for some time as there are enormous hurdles to overcome. However, there are definite advantages to optical circuits over electrical ones. Light beams are neither affected by external radiation, nor by themselves. In fact, light beams can cross each other, allowing for simpler travel paths between inputs and outputs. See all-optical network.

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optical computer [′äp·tə·kəl kəm′pyüd·ər]

(computer science)

A computer that uses various combinations of holography, lasers, and mass-storage memories for such applications as ultra-high-speed signal processing, image deblurring, and character recognition.