Thermal logic gates: Computation with phonons

Abstract

Logic gates are basic digital elements for computers. We build up thermal logic gates that can perform similar operations as their electronic counterparts. The thermal logic gates are based on nonlinear lattices, which exhibit very intriguing phenomena due to their temperature dependent power spectra. We demonstrate that phonons, the heat carriers, can also be used to carry information and processed accordingly. The possibility of nanoscale experiments is discussed. © 2007 The American Physical Society.