Scientists were able to slow light

Light slowed to the speed of sound.

Researchers from Australia have taken an important step towards the creation of photonic computer, slowing the speed of moving particles of light.

This transformation is crucial for development of computing machines of a new type.

The so-called photonic computers are where the information is transmitted using light beams, that is, the replacement of the conventional electronic computer components in their optical equivalents. This way, in theory, should increase the calculation speed at least 20 times.

Encoding information in photons is fairly easily – this method is already used, for example, in an optical fiber. But the ability to process and store such information humanity has yet to photons too fast for microchips. And now, scientists from Australia have managed to solve the issue.

“The information contained in our chip into the audio moves with the velocity five orders of magnitude slower than in the optical range. It’s like the difference between thunder and lightning,” said the project leader, Birgit Stiller.

This means that in the future computers will be able to receive information using light, without interference from electromagnetic radiation and will be able to slow down these data strongly enough processors to be able to work with these data.

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