Squishy photonic switches promise fast, low power logic

Scientists have developed a novel method for controlling light with light using soft materials, potentially revolutionizing photonic computing. This new technique utilizes low light intensities and avoids altering material properties, offering significant energy efficiency improvements over existing methods. The device, inspired by microscopy techniques, uses liquid crystals and fluorescent dyes to manipulate light pulses. This breakthrough simplifies manufacturing processes compared to traditional silicon-based photonics and opens avenues for creating flexible, low-power optical logic gates. While photonic computing and neural networks are long-term goals, this advancement promises extremely low energy losses and high calculation speeds.