Scientists achieve ultra-fast computing using light pulses at over 10 terahertz, bypassing electronic limits with tungsten disulfide. Published in Nature Photonics.
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Scientists have taken a significant step toward developing ultra-fast computers by demonstrating a light-based computing technology operating at over 10 terahertz—more than 10,000 GHz and over a thousand times faster than current processors. The research findings have been published in the journal Nature Photonics.
Unlike traditional chips that process information by moving electrical charges through transistors, this new method uses ultra-short laser pulses to perform logic operations. This approach allows researchers to bypass the physical limitations of electronics that currently constrain performance improvements.
The key component of the experiment was tungsten disulfide—an ultra-thin two-dimensional material just three atomic layers thick. In this material, electrons can exist in two distinct quantum states known as "valleys," which function as analogs to conventional zeros and ones. By controlling these states using a series of light flashes lasting mere quadrillionths of a second, researchers were able to switch, turn off, and modify information states at unprecedented speeds.
Notably, all operations were conducted at room temperature using laser pulses already available in laboratories. The scientists also measured how long information remains stable before degradation—a critically important parameter for practical implementation of the technology.
While commercial application remains distant—with challenges around scaling and managing complex light sequences still to be solved—the experiment demonstrates the fundamental possibility of creating a new generation of processors that operate on light pulses and could deliver exponential performance gains.