An On-demand Photonic Ising Machine with Simplified Hamiltonian Calculation by Phase-encoding and Intensity Detection

Abstract The photonic Ising machine is a new paradigm of optical computing that takes advantages of the unique properties of light wave propagation, parallel processing and low loss transmission. Thus, the process of solving the combinatorial optimization problems can be accelerated through photonic/optoelectronic devices. In this work, we have proposed and demonstrated the Phase-Encoding and Intensity Detection Ising Annealer (PEIDIA) capable of solving arbitrary Ising problems on demand. The PEIDIA employs the heuristic algorithm and requires only one step of optical linear transformation with simplified Hamiltonian calculation by encoding the Ising spins on the phase term of the optical field and performing intensity detection during the solving process. As a proof of principle, several 20 and 30-dimensional Ising problems have been solved with high ground state probability (≥0.97/0.85 for 20/30-spin Ising model).