Abstract
Following the successful replacement of electrical cables in telecommunications networks by fibre-optic links, more and more people are wondering whether it may be possible to extend such optical techniques into the realm of information processing. The idea of 'optical computing' has been around since the early 1960s and includes a multitude of different ways in which the properties of light and optical media might be exploited to process information encoded onto light beams. The spur to this activity was the invention of the laser in 1960 which made available a powerful and highly controllable source of light. Despite the passage of nearly 30 years, this fascinating alternative to electronic computing has stubbornly remained in the research laboratories. Recently, however, significant advances in optical materials and laser technology have provided a new impetus to the field and the 'high-tech' industries are beginning- to look seriously at its potential.
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