M-Z Interferometer All-Optical Comparator

M-Z interferometer all-optical comparison is an optical signal processing technique based on the Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) structure, enhanced with a ring resonator to improve its comparative functionality. The MZI fundamentally consists of two optical couplers and two optical paths, leveraging interference effects for signal modulation. When input signals enter the interferometer, a phase difference is generated between the two optical paths, consequently affecting the intensity distribution of the output light. In code implementations, the phase modulation can be simulated using transfer matrix methods, where each optical component is represented by a matrix operation to calculate the output fields.

The integration of a ring resonator further optimizes MZI performance. The ring cavity functions as an optical filter or storage element, enhancing localized field effects for specific wavelengths and thereby increasing interferometer sensitivity. By adjusting coupling coefficients and the length of the ring resonator through parameter optimization algorithms (e.g., gradient descent methods for fine-tuning), one can control phase accumulation, making the MZI output more responsive to input signal variations. Key functions in simulation would include calculating resonance conditions and coupling efficiency using wavelength-dependent transfer functions.

In all-optical comparison processing, after the input optical signals interact with both the MZI and ring resonator, the output intensity distribution can indicate relative magnitudes or phase changes between different input signals. This structure is suitable for applications in optical communications, optical computing, and optical signal processing, offering advantages such as high speed, low power consumption, and integrability. Through parameter optimization of the ring cavity (e.g., using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations to model light propagation), the comparator's precision and response speed can be further improved, providing new design approaches for all-optical logic devices.