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Factoring numbers with single interferogram

Tue, 2011-04-26 16:28 - Donatella Rosetti
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Date: 
2011-02-25
Author(s): 

V. Tamma et al.

Reference: 

Phys. Rev. A 83, 020304 (2011)

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.