Abstract

A heteroassociative memory and the corresponding stable eigenmodes (states) of a ring resonator may be arranged to perform roles equivalent to the electronic logic and the latch memory of a classical finite state machine (FSM). Heteroassociative FSMs may be created by preloading (programming) an eigenstate memory with a set of associatively linked stable states. The links are completed by seeding the FSM with external stimuli. The underlying principle is similar to associative chain recall. However, a state transition can only occur in this system when the combined current FSM state and next input vector are identified as a new state stimulus. One-dimensional, open or closed, chains of stable states are quite straightforward to program; however, when branches are required, many unprogrammed states and links between states may appear. One solution to this problem is to use multiple-feedback loops, each loop corresponding to a higher level of decision. The lower level loops create keys which allow access to the higher levels only when prerequisite states have been reached.

© 1987 Optical Society of America