ABSTRACT
Optical beams do not have the time response limitations of electronic currents, do not need insulators, and can contain dozens or hundreds of streams at different frequencies that are immune to electromagnetic interference. They have low-loss transmission and provide large bandwidth, i.e., they are capable of transmitting several channels of data in parallel without interference. They are capable of transmitting signals within the same or adjacent waveguides with essentially no interference or cross talk. This will lead to a new generation of communication systems, data processors, and computers in which wires and electronic circuits will be replaced by waveguides, photonic crystals, smart thin films, and quantum photonic circuits.
