Concepts for numerical optical computers

1. Background 2. Residue number system 2.1. Encoding 2.2. Decoding 2.3. Scaling 3. Basis for numerical methods 4. Processor design concepts 4.1. Cyclic phase implementation 4.2. Mapping with beam position control 4.3. Multipurpose arithmetic module 5. Extended computing applications 5.1. Polynomial evaluation 5.2. Matrix multiplication and transforms 6. Concluding remarks 7. References Abstract. The approach to the design of an optical computer or processor system has typically been analog in nature in the past. Recently design concepts for a numerical optical processor have evolved in which we see digital techniques implemented with optical devices. This paper describes design concepts for a numerical optical processor which is based on the residue number system.