Optical binary de Bruijn networks for massively parallel computing: design methodology and feasibility study

The interconnection network structure can be the deciding and limiting factor in the cost and the performance of parallel computers. One of the most popular point-to-point interconnection networks for parallel computers today is the hypercube. The regularity, logarithmic diameter, symmetry, high connectivity, fault tolerance, simple routing, and reconfigurability (easy embedding of other network topologies) of the hypercube make it a very attractive choice for parallel computers. Unfortunately the hypercube possesses a major drawback, which is the complexity of its node structure: the number of links per node increases as the network grows in size. As an alternative to the hypercube, the binary de Bruijn (BdB) network has recently received much attention. The BdB not only provides a logarithmic diameter, fault tolerance, and simple routing but also requires fewer links than the hypercube for the same network size. Additionally, a major advantage of the BdB network is a constant node degree: the number of edges per node is independent of the network size. This makes it very desirable for large-scale parallel systems. However, because of its asymmetrical nature and global connectivity, it poses a major challenge for VLSI technology. Optics, owing to its three-dimensional and globalconnectivity nature, seems to be very suitable for implementing BdB networks. We present an implementation methodology for optical BdB networks. The distinctive feature of the proposed implementation methodology is partitionability of the network into a few primitive operations that can be implemented efficiently. We further show feasibility of the presented design methodology by proposing an optical implementation of the BdB network.     

Interferometric measurement of near-cylindrical surfaces with high amplitude resolution

Subaperture interferometric measurements of highly curved surfaces with a shape close to a cylinder have been performed in a normal-incident setup that consists of a Fizeau interferometer in combination with a plano-concave cylindrical lens. Since the field of view in the circumferential direction is limited by spherical aberration, the optical components were designed to minimize spherical aberration. For reference measurements a second plano-convex cylindrical lens was used. The subaperture setup leads to three-dimensional surface maps of the objects under test. To eliminate the influence of residual geometric aberrations, rectangular polynomials have been fitted and subtracted from the raw data. For deformations with spatial wavelengths below 30 mm, a rms amplitude resolution of 1 nm and a rms amplitude accuracy of 3 nm were achieved. Measurements on Wolter-type-I mirror shells are discussed in detail.     

Technique for measuring grating frequency

Experimentally the real and imaginary parts of the Fourier spectrum are separated and used to detect the nature of the object, i.e., whether the object is an odd or even function or a combination of both. A modified Twyman-Green setup is used for this purpose. This type of splitting of the object function into even and odd parts may become useful in different fields of image processing. As an application the same technique is used for accurate measurement of the grating frequency.