Light can now experience multiple dimensions thanks to a novel optical chip design. It could support flexible systems for cutting-edge communications and super-fast artificial intelligence technologies. Considering that the area around us is only three-dimensional, it is mind-boggling to think that light can evolve in up to seven dimensions on our specially designed circuits.
The experimental effort was directed by the scientists who pioneered the fabrication of optical circuits. Higher dimensional optical chips could support a range of future technologies, including machine learning and automatically completing difficult tasks. According to researchers, the ability of light to travel outside of our three-dimensional space would be a significant advancement and greatly improve the performance of optical chips used today. Human brains contain high-dimensional network structures; their computational power will greatly increase if optical circuitry can mimic these.
With the help of the team’s invention, optical switches and sensors that can react quickly to send or block light can be created. According to researchers, the study is a crucial step toward developing an ultra-compact and energy-efficient platform for optical networks. Although light can flow through the circuits on an optical chip, mass-produced circuits are most effectively constructed within a single plane, like roads without overpasses.