All-optical convolution utilizing processing in a memory based on a cold atomic ensemble
Phys. Rev. A 113, 033522 – Published 16 March, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7zgd-8r8z
Abstract
Processing in memory (PIM) has received significant attention due to its high efficiency, low latency, and parallelism. In optical computation, coherent memory is a crucial infrastructure for PIM frameworks. This study presents an all-optical convolution experiment conducted within computational storage based on a cold atomic ensemble. By exploiting the light-atom phase transfer facilitated by the electromagnetically induced transparency, we demonstrated spiral phase contrast processing of photon images in a memory, resulting in the edge enhancement of retrieved images recorded using time-correlated photon imaging. In particular, adopting state-of-the-art atomic techniques provides a coherent memory lifetime exceeding 320 for PIM operations. Our results highlight the significant potential of cold atomic ensembles as computational storage for developing all-optical PIM systems.
