Computing using light -- photonic computing, or optical computing -- could be digital, analog, and perhaps of other kinds. Obviously, in the digital area, standard binary computing is worth pursuing. At least some of the commonplace binary logic gates can be constructed using beams of light; n-gates are readily made using photographic colour filters to switch colours into their "opposites." But photonic digital computing need not be limited to binary. What about trinary (ternary)? Quaternary (if that's the word)? Decimal? There may be great possibilities for transmitting and processing information that extend well beyond binary, using colour variants, or even using variations in brightness in a monochrome system.
As for analog computing, there may be some possibility of using variations in brightness the way some older analog computers used variations in water pressure (eg. MONIAC or the Soviet water integrators in use from the 1920s to the '80s). Light falling onto a medium like a fluorescent surface would leave a temporary impression which could be measured and translated back into numbers. Future developments in solar-sail tech and its miniaturization may enable micro-scale devices which can actually measure light pressure, thus enabling a photonic analog system not dependent on brightness as such -- but this seems a long way off.
And light seems like it has so many possibilities, maybe there are other types of computing possible using it, beyond digital and analog.
By the way, for non-electric computing, light can generated using phosphorus, fluorine, or neon, or introducing extraplanetary light (especially sunlight, but there could be processing using moonlight or even starlight). The "colours" in photonic computing need not appear visually brilliant or striking to human eyes; quiet colours and slight variations in hue or brightness are all that's needed, if the system can actually register the differences.
Some interesting stuff to do with this at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXH83P67ebk and http://shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com/2012/07/09/ternary-radix-will-have-to-wait-for-photonic-computers/ .
Below is a simplified and probably ridiculous Chinese translation (courtesy of Google's translation program, which I do appreciate). LOL or LVQ.
光子计算：二进制和超越？
计算采用光 - 光子计算，或光计算 - 可能是数字，模拟，或许其他种。显然，在数码领域，标准的二进制运算是值得追求的。至少一些普通的二进制逻辑门可以使用光束来构造;正大门正在使用照相彩色过滤器的颜色切换到他们最容易制造“的对立面。”但光子数字运算不必限于二进制。怎么样三元？第四纪（如果是这样的话）？十进制？有可能是，用于发送和处理该远远超出二进制信息，利用颜色变体，或者甚至使用在单色系统的亮度变化很大的可能性。
至于模拟计算，有可能是使用的亮度变化的一些较旧的模拟计算机使用变化的水压（如MONIAC或苏水集成商在使用从20世纪20年代到80年代）的方式的一些可能性。光落到像荧光表面的介质会留下暂时性的印象可被测量并转换回数字。在太阳帆技术和小型化的未来发展可能使微观尺度的设备实际上可以测量光压，从而使光子模拟系统不依赖于亮度这样的 - 但是这似乎是一个很长的路要走。
和光好像它有这么多的可能性，也许还有其他类型的计算可以使用它，超越数字和模拟。
顺便说一下，对于非电动计算，光可以使用磷，氟，或氖气，或引入extraplanetary光（尤其是太阳光，但也有可能使用月光甚至星光被处理）生成的。在光子计算的“颜色”不必出现在视觉上灿烂的或引人注目的人的眼睛;安静的颜色和色调或亮度的微小变化都需要的，如果系统实际上可以注册的差异。
一些有趣的东西，做这个的：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXH83P67ebk; http://shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com/2012/07/09/ternary-radix-will-have-to-wait-for-photonic-computers/。
As for analog computing, there may be some possibility of using variations in brightness the way some older analog computers used variations in water pressure (eg. MONIAC or the Soviet water integrators in use from the 1920s to the '80s). Light falling onto a medium like a fluorescent surface would leave a temporary impression which could be measured and translated back into numbers. Future developments in solar-sail tech and its miniaturization may enable micro-scale devices which can actually measure light pressure, thus enabling a photonic analog system not dependent on brightness as such -- but this seems a long way off.
And light seems like it has so many possibilities, maybe there are other types of computing possible using it, beyond digital and analog.
By the way, for non-electric computing, light can generated using phosphorus, fluorine, or neon, or introducing extraplanetary light (especially sunlight, but there could be processing using moonlight or even starlight). The "colours" in photonic computing need not appear visually brilliant or striking to human eyes; quiet colours and slight variations in hue or brightness are all that's needed, if the system can actually register the differences.
Some interesting stuff to do with this at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXH83P67ebk and http://shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com/2012/07/09/ternary-radix-will-have-to-wait-for-photonic-computers/ .
Below is a simplified and probably ridiculous Chinese translation (courtesy of Google's translation program, which I do appreciate). LOL or LVQ.
光子计算：二进制和超越？
计算采用光 - 光子计算，或光计算 - 可能是数字，模拟，或许其他种。显然，在数码领域，标准的二进制运算是值得追求的。至少一些普通的二进制逻辑门可以使用光束来构造;正大门正在使用照相彩色过滤器的颜色切换到他们最容易制造“的对立面。”但光子数字运算不必限于二进制。怎么样三元？第四纪（如果是这样的话）？十进制？有可能是，用于发送和处理该远远超出二进制信息，利用颜色变体，或者甚至使用在单色系统的亮度变化很大的可能性。
至于模拟计算，有可能是使用的亮度变化的一些较旧的模拟计算机使用变化的水压（如MONIAC或苏水集成商在使用从20世纪20年代到80年代）的方式的一些可能性。光落到像荧光表面的介质会留下暂时性的印象可被测量并转换回数字。在太阳帆技术和小型化的未来发展可能使微观尺度的设备实际上可以测量光压，从而使光子模拟系统不依赖于亮度这样的 - 但是这似乎是一个很长的路要走。
和光好像它有这么多的可能性，也许还有其他类型的计算可以使用它，超越数字和模拟。
顺便说一下，对于非电动计算，光可以使用磷，氟，或氖气，或引入extraplanetary光（尤其是太阳光，但也有可能使用月光甚至星光被处理）生成的。在光子计算的“颜色”不必出现在视觉上灿烂的或引人注目的人的眼睛;安静的颜色和色调或亮度的微小变化都需要的，如果系统实际上可以注册的差异。
一些有趣的东西，做这个的：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXH83P67ebk; http://shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com/2012/07/09/ternary-radix-will-have-to-wait-for-photonic-computers/。
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