Arithmetic operations in optical computations using a modified trinary number system

Opt Lett. 1989 May 1;14(9):426-8. doi: 10.1364/ol.14.000426.

Abstract

A modified trinary number (MTN) system is proposed in which any binary number can be expressed with the help of trinary digits (1, 0, 1 ). Arithmetic operations can be performed in parallel without the need for carry and borrow steps when binary digits are converted to the MTN system. An optical implementation of the proposed scheme that uses spatial light modulators and color-coded light signals is described.