Abstract

The main topic of this conference is the application of optical techniques to numerical computation. These techniques have their roots in optical processing of images and wideband electrical signals; here we review some of the significant developments of this earlier work. The primary distinction between optical processing and computing, as I see it, is that the former generally uses integral operator algorithms as applied to analog signals whereas the latter implements algorithms applied to discrete, and often binary, data sets. The distinction is admittedly arbitrary and sometimes the same problem can be solved by either method.

© 1985 Optical Society of America