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==Optical components for binary digital computer==
The fundamental building block of modern electronic computers is the [[transistor]]. To replace electronic components with optical ones, an equivalent [[optical transistor]] is required. This is achieved using materials with a [[Refractive index#Nonlinearity|non-linear refractive index]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=These Optical Gates Offer Electronic Access - IEEE Spectrum |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/optical-computing-picosecond-gates |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=spectrum.ieee.org |language=en}}</ref> In particular, materials exist<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.rp-photonics.com/nonlinear_index.html | title=Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology - nonlinear index, Kerr effect}}</ref> where the intensity of incoming light affects the intensity of the light transmitted through the material in a similar manner to the current response of a bipolar transistor. Such an optical transistor<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jain |first1=K. | last2=Pratt | first2=G. W. Jr. |title=Optical transistor |journal=Appl. Phys. Lett. |volume=28 |issue=12 |pages=719 |date=1976 |doi=10.1063/1.88627 |bibcode=1976ApPhL..28..719J }}</ref><ref name=jainprattpatent>{{cite patent
| country = US
| number = 4382660
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| invent1 = K. Jain
| invent2 = G.W. Pratt, Jr.
}}</ref> can be used to create optical [[logic gate]]s,<ref name=jainprattpatent /> which in turn are assembled into the higher level components of the computer's [[central processing unit]] (CPU).
Like any computing system, an optical computing system needs three things to function well:
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