Complex Photonics
Complex Photonics
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Driven by advances in data science and machine learning, photonics has evolved rapidly in recent years and has transformed into a highly interdisciplinary field, connecting fundamental research with cutting-edge applications. Inspired by recent Nobel Prizes in Physics in 2021 and 2024, Conti highlights the interplay between photonics and spin glasses, a key concept for understanding the link between photon propagation and complex systems. Beginning with a study of black-body radiation, the book then revisits laser theory using techniques from non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Through a step-by-step exploration of important photonic experiments, it bridges foundational concepts and advances in optical computing, with a focus on developing efficient hardware for classical and quantum artificial intelligence. This reveals the profound ties between complexity, photonics, and the future of AI technologies. The book will be a valuable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and more practised researchers.
- Addresses the links between photonics, the Hopfield model, and machine learning
- Offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary introduction to complex photonics and optical computing
- Provides a detailed but accessible overview of the subject for advanced students and researchers with an interest in photonics and statistical mechanics
- Highlights recent developments in photonics and statistical mechanics with a view to merging the communities for scholars working in both fields
Product details
- Published: July 2026
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9781107110526
- Length: 366 pages
- Dimensions: 254 × 178 mm
- Weight: 0kg
- Availability: Not yet published - available from July 2026
Table of Contents
- Part I. Light and Fluids:
- 1. From Max Planck to Machine Learning
- 2. Elements of Linear Optics
- 3. Green's Functions
- 4. Rays
- 5. Photon Fluid Transport
- 6. Light Diffusion
- 7. Diffusive Random Laser
- Part II. Photonic Spin Glasses:
- 8. Spin Glass Theory and Replica Symmetry Breaking
- 9. Modes and Fluctuations in Lasers
- 10. The Photonic Spin Glass
- 11. Photonic Spin Glass Theory
- 12. Photonic Spin Glass Experiments
- Part III. Optical Ising Machines:
- 13. Focusing in Random Media and Transmission Matrix
- 14. The Spatial Ising Machine
- 15. The Parametron and the Coherent Ising Machine.
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