Published February 2011 | Version v1
Journal article

Factoring numbers with a single interferogram

  • 1. Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Universita degli Studi di Bari, IT-70100 Bari (Italy)
  • 2. Department of Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250 (United States)
  • 3. INFN-Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy)
  • 4. Institut fuer Quantenphysik, Universitaet Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89081 Ulm (Germany)

Description

We construct an analog computer based on light interference to encode the hyperbolic function f(ζ)≡1/ζ into a sequence of skewed curlicue functions. The resulting interferogram when scaled appropriately allows us to find the prime number decompositions of integers. We implement this idea exploiting polychromatic optical interference in a multipath interferometer and factor seven-digit numbers. We give an estimate for the largest number that can be factored by this scheme.

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review. A
Journal Volume
83
Journal Issue
2
Journal Page Range
p. 020304-020304.4
ISSN
1050-2947
CODEN
PLRAAN

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
43016102
Subject category
S71: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; S46: INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY;
Descriptors DEI
ANALOG COMPUTERS; DECOMPOSITION; FACTORIZATION; INTERFERENCE; INTERFEROMETERS; VISIBLE RADIATION
Descriptors DEC
CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COMPUTERS; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; RADIATIONS

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2011 American Institute of Physics