All-optical temporal integration mediated by subwavelength heat antennas.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41436458.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67726-0 and PMC identifier 12847805.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Optical computing systems deliver unrivalled processing speeds for scalar operations. Yet, integrated implementations have been constrained to low-dimensional tensor operations that fall short of the vector dimensions required for modern artificial intelligence. We demonstrate an all-optical neuromorphic computing system based on time division multiplexing, capable of processing input vectors exceeding 250,000 elements within a unified framework. The platform harnesses optically driven thermo-optic modulation in standing wave optical fields, with titanium nano-antennas functioning as wavelength-selective absorbers. Counterintuitively, the thermal time dynamics of the system enable simultaneous time integration of ultra-fast (50 GHz) signals and the application of programmable, non-linear activation functions, entirely within the optical domain. This unified framework constitutes a leap towards large-scale photonic computing that satisfies the dimensional requirements of AI workloads.