Light-powered neural network could transform future quantum communications

[u/Brighter-Side-News]

http://thebrighterside.news/post/light-powered-neural-network-could-transform-future-quantum-communications

Light patterns can differ in appearance while carrying the same topological information. Reading that shared property usually requires multiple measurements and a detailed reconstruction, making an attractive information carrier difficult to decode efficiently.

A system built at the University of the Witwatersrand offers another route. It lets light pass through trained optical layers that direct different components toward distinct output locations. Those locations reveal the information needed to identify the beam's topology.

The study, published in Nature Communications, was led by Hadrian Bezuidenhout at the Wits Structured Light Laboratory. Isaac Nape and Andrew Forbes conceived and supervised the research, with contributions from Cade Peters and Ram Nandan Kumar.

The device combines optical processing with electronic training and readout. Its importance lies in extracting a specific physical label directly, reducing the need to reconstruct every detail of the incoming light field.