Cybersecurity

Russian Scientists May Have Solved One of the Major Barriers to Light-Based Computers

High-performance microprocessors that harness photons rather than electrons promise to make computers up to a thousand times more efficient because electrons typically move at a low fraction of the speed of light. Problem: scaling down conventional electronic microprocessors is easy; doing the same with photonic components is hard because of the difficulty of getting light to turn corners. So scientists have turned to plasmonic components, which take advantage of the unique oscillating interactions of photons and electrons on the surface of metal.