A gradual transition from electrical to optical networks is accompanying the rapid progress of telecommunication technology. The urge for enhanced transmission capacity and speed is dictating this trend. In fact, large volumes of data encoded on optical signals can be transported rapidly over long distances. Their propagation along specific routes across a communication network is ensured by a combination of optical fibers and optoelectronic switches. It is becoming apparent, however, that the interplay between the routing electrical stimulations and the traveling optical signals will not be able to support the terabit-per-second capacities that will be needed in the near future. Electrical inputs cannot handle the immense parallelism potentially possible with optical signals. Operating principles to control optical signals with optical signals must be developed. Molecular and supramolecular switches are promising candidates for the realization of innovative materials for information technology. Binary digits can be encoded in their chemical, electrical, or optical inputs and outputs to execute specific logic functions. We have developed a simple strategy to gate optical signals with optical signals by using a photoactive molecular switch. We have demonstrated that NAND, NOR, and NOT operations can be implemented exclusively with optical inputs and optical outputs coupling from one to three switching elements. Our remarkably simple approach to all-optical switching might lead to the development of a new generation of devices for digital processing and communication technology.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 06 November 2012.
All research outputs
#12,356,702
of 34,400,738 outputs
Outputs from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
#83,733
of 118,992 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#76,610
of 178,407 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
#432
of 643 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,400,738 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 38th percentile – i.e., 38% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 118,992 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 40.1. This one is in the 13th percentile – i.e., 13% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 643 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 9th percentile – i.e., 9% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
